Strange Death
In the Winter 2021 Edition of the Family History Bulletin (produced by the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages), that you can read here [https://bit.ly/2Y7oAXw] if you have not already seen it, JP spotted this intriguing item.
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In an email to the group, John offered the following comments and posed some questions.
Admittedly, accidents (fatal or otherwise) re big-bang-fishing (or 'hand-grenading') was popular during WW2 (& in more recent times). But, in my quick-ish splatter of trolling & tweaking various resources, at present i am unable to dig up a case of where a 'fishing' "explosion" was "premature" ... if so, it being the direct cause of a death ... plus the reference to "an elderly man" is not forthcoming (to me for now, at least).
However, the following newspaper article has some semblance of fisherman's woe occurring in the same year (1943), but the coroner's reported cause of death does have an extra twist of 'strange'
However, the following newspaper article has some semblance of fisherman's woe occurring in the same year (1943), but the coroner's reported cause of death does have an extra twist of 'strange'
CORONER'S INQUEST
BABINDA, July 30. In the Coroner's Court, Babinda, before Mr. F. W. Blake, on July 28, an inquest into the death of Salvatore Attard was held. Grazio Deguarra stated that on Thursday, June 17, Sam Attard asked him to go to the river, for a walk. When they got to the river Attard told him they were going to catch some fish. When witness asked him how he was going to catch fish without a fishing line he said, "I'll show you how to catch the fish." Witness did not see him carry anything. Julian Calleja went with them to the river, but did not stay. Attard left witness and went about three or four chain down the river. There are three or four trees there. Witness heard a match strike on a tin. A couple of seconds after he heard the match strike he heard a dull noise, and saw the water splash up. He saw the deceased in a tree before the dull noise, and saw him jump from the tree into the water after it. Witness saw Attard throw something from his hand whilst he was in the tree, into the river. When he threw this thing he heard the noise and saw the water splash up. Attard then called out to witness to go down the bank of the river so that he could give him the fish. ...... The Coroner found that deceased proceeded to the Russell River at Bartle Frere with Grazio Deguarra and Julian Calleja, with the intent of securing fish, by means of an explosive; that deceased threw some explosive into the river whilst standing in a tree and after the explosion jumped into the water with the intention of securing whatever fish had been killed or injured by such explosive; that deceased, following practice adopted by those who secure fish by explosives, placed a fish in his mouth and that fish, by some unknown means, entered his throat, so causing his death by asphyxia. |
The extract to the left is only part of the full report that appeared on page 1 of the Cairns Post on Tuesday 3 August 1943. If you find the Coroner's summary in the last paragraph slightly unbelievable, wait until you read the evidence as given by the witnesses. Get the full story at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article42394875 |
Summaries in other newspapers covering the same accident states that the age of the deceased Salvatore ATTARD (aka Sam/Samuel ?) was 34 years. ... which, to me, is not 'elderly' (but gauge of age is oft' subjective and in eyes of a beholder) ... Is the newspaper's report of age accurate ? (or my blur of vision misreads pdf copies of original newsprint ?)
Qld Death Index [https://bit.ly/3l3WbL5] lists father's name, "Anthony" (possibly anglicized Antonio ?).
Babinda Cemetery records the burial but does not appear to list age or birth-date of this fellow.
'Twould be interesting to view this particular death cert, to see if cause of death reflects the finding of the coroner.
Qld Death Index [https://bit.ly/3l3WbL5] lists father's name, "Anthony" (possibly anglicized Antonio ?).
Babinda Cemetery records the burial but does not appear to list age or birth-date of this fellow.
'Twould be interesting to view this particular death cert, to see if cause of death reflects the finding of the coroner.
Some musings by moi: i have not (yet) pieced together ATTARD family relationships, in order to sort the 'S' forename(s) connections. Nor have i fossicked for approx ages of the 2 witnesses named in the newspaper report re the inquest,
There is an 'elderly' fellow by the same name who roamed the same area (Babinda,, Innisfail, South Johnstone area). >>
see NAA Application forPassport https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4384189 - 11-pages file - (if nothing else, check out the mo' on bloke in the ID portrait) .
Perhaps other familyst groupies are able to latch onto another fellow who meets the criterion stated in RBDM bulletin's blurb of a "premature explosion" fate ... and "elderly man" ? And/or groupies may have a theory on 'age' & ATTARD family relationship of the above-mentioned choked-by-fish fellow ?
Cheers, JP ... sidetracked down f-h rabbit-holes and up wombat-burrows (again)
There is an 'elderly' fellow by the same name who roamed the same area (Babinda,, Innisfail, South Johnstone area). >>
see NAA Application forPassport https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4384189 - 11-pages file - (if nothing else, check out the mo' on bloke in the ID portrait) .
Perhaps other familyst groupies are able to latch onto another fellow who meets the criterion stated in RBDM bulletin's blurb of a "premature explosion" fate ... and "elderly man" ? And/or groupies may have a theory on 'age' & ATTARD family relationship of the above-mentioned choked-by-fish fellow ?
Cheers, JP ... sidetracked down f-h rabbit-holes and up wombat-burrows (again)
Will you take up John's challenge to locate "another fellow" whose tragic angling end might have prompted the piece in the Newsletter?
Could the Registrar's staff be mistaken about the event occurring in 1943? How can you locate similar events earlier or later? What keywords might locate a report in the newspaper? If the report of death does not give the age of the deceased, where else might you look for evidence?
Could the Registrar's staff be mistaken about the event occurring in 1943? How can you locate similar events earlier or later? What keywords might locate a report in the newspaper? If the report of death does not give the age of the deceased, where else might you look for evidence?