Herbert James Woolnough

A Skipper with H.M. Trawler Royalo, Herbert died on 23rd of September 1916 at the age of 42. 

Herbert was born at Kessingland on 30 January 1874, a son of William Henry and Lucy Mary Woolnough. He was baptised at Saint Peter’s Church, Kirkley, on 5 April 1874. In 1881 his family lived at 2 Claremont Road and in 1891 at 4 Westbourne Terrace. Later his parents lived at 6 Lorne Road. 

On 18 August 1896 Herbert married Lillie Moore at Christchurch, Lowestoft. Herbert was serving on H.M.S. Onyx, but they both gave their address as 8 Lorne Road, Kirkley. In 1911 they lived at 9 Haward Street. By 1915 they were living at 43 Beaconsfield Road. Later Lillie lived at 72 Southwell Road. 

On 25 January 1890 Herbert joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class. He served continuously until 19 February 1904. Herbert served on H.M.S. Forte during the Boer War and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal. During the Boer War he served ashore with the armoured train at Natal. He joined the Royal Fleet Reserve on 22 February 1904 and he re-enrolled on 22 February 1909 to serve for another five years. Herbert was awarded his certificate of competency as a skipper in 1911.

He was mobilized when the war began and served with H.M.S. Humber. On 1 April 1915 approval was given for Herbert to transfer to the Royal Naval Reserve as a Temporary Skipper. Herbert joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 9 August 1915. From 16 October 1915 he served with the Armed Boarding Steamer H.M.S. Stephen Furness. He spent time with the whalers H.M.S. Blackwhale and H.M.S. Bullwhale before, on 16 August 1916, joining the trawler Royalo.     

Details of the inquest into the circumstances of Herbert’s death were printed in The Cambridge Daily News, 26 September 1916, page 4:

THE RAILWAY MYSTERY

Inquest on Naval Warrant Officer Who Fell from Train

GOING HOME ON FURLOUGH

An inquest on the naval officer, who, as previously reported in the Cambridge Daily News, was admitted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital early on Saturday morning and died the following day as the result of a fall from a train near Sawston, was held at Addenbrooke’s Hospital on Monday evening. From the evidence it was impossible to decide how the officer came to fall on to the line, and a verdict of ‘Death from shock following injuries sustained by accidentally falling from a train’, was returned.
The officer was Herbert James Woolnough, 72, Southfield (sic) Road, Lowestoft, and he was a warrant officer in the Navy. At the inquest Superintendent West represented the County Police, Inspector T.R. Buck the G.E.R. Police, and Inspector Harradine and Mr. W. Hughes (District Superintendent of Operation), the G.E.R. Company.
NEVER COMPAINED ABOUT ANYTHING
Mr. William Henry Woolnough, 8 Lorne Road, Lowestoft, identified the body as that of his sin, who was aged 45. His son, he said, was travelling from London to Cambridge on Friday evening, but was not expected home. He had previously written to say he was coming home if he could get leave for the weekend. Witness presumed that he had got leave, and intended to wire on his way home. There was nothing that he knew to suggest that the affair was anything but an accident. Witness saw his son less than three months ago. He had never complained about anything. 
Inspector Harradine: had he very good eyesight?
Witness: Yes, because he had passed all the tests for signalling. He was a signalman at the time of his death.
‘WE HAVE LOST OUR CHUM’
Mr. William James Huggins, warrant officer in the Navy, said on Friday evening he left Liverpool Street Station by the 10.07 train for Cambridge. He was travelling in a first-class compartment along with Woolnough and another man. They were all strangers to each other. They talked together about ships, fishing, etc., and then witness said he was going to have half-an-hour’s sleep. All three lay down, each one in a corner, and went to sleep. Witness was awakened by the carriage door banging against the side of the train. He saw Woolnough was not in the compartment, and wakened the other man up, and said, ‘I believe we have lost our chum along the line.’ Witness could not find Woolnough anywhere, and informed the guard. The door opposite their compartment was unfastened. It was on the corridor side of the train, and not on the side that they had entered at Liverpool Street Station. Woolnough had taken his shoes off and placed them under the seat, and had put his hat on the rack, and when witness woke up they were in the same positions. The light in the carriage was dim, but it was possible to see the door. When witness saw the outside door open he pulled it to, and noticed that the window was down. It was not down when they left London. Woolnough was in very good spirits when they were talking. Witness could not say whether the doors were examined before they left London.
Inspector Harradine: Did Woolnough leave the compartment at any time during the journey before you missed him?
Witness replied that he did not remember his leaving at any time.
AWAKENED BY A CRASH
Mr. James Ralph Bullis, chief motor mechanic in the Navy, the other passenger referred to by the previous witness, said he saw Woolnough  for the first time at Waterloo Station about 8.30 on the Friday evening in question. Woolnough heard witness ask a taxi-driver to take him to Liverpool Street Station, and asked him if he could accompany him, and they travelled together. After they had been in the train for some time witness went to sleep, and was roused by some kind of a crash. His mate (the previous witness) grabbed him by the leg, and said he thought their chum was gone. Witness said he did not think so, and he might have gone to the lavatory. As far as he knew the door which the previous witness found open was closed when the train left London. 
HOW BODY WAS FOUND
John Seekings, a signalman on the G.E.R., residing at Sawston, said he was on duty early on Saturday morning at Sawston siding signal box, when it was reported to him from Whittlesford that there was a man missing from the down mail train for Cambridge. When the 1.15 a.m. train from Temple Mills to Cambridge came down, the guard called to witness that there was something lying against the crossing (Towgood’s crossing). Witness thought it might be the man who was missing, and went down the line and found Woolnough in the up-line four-foot way, about 240 yards from his signal box, in the direction of London. The body was near the level crossing that led to the paper mill. Woolnough was lying on his back, with his hands down by his sides, and near the inner rail. Witness called the gateman who lived near at hand, and told him to go for a doctor and the police. While the gateman was away a down train came along from Whittlesford and witness topped it, and with the assistance of the driver and the fireman, moved the man clear of the line. Witness thought at first that he was dead, but then found he was breathing faintly. He then returned to his signal box, leaving the body in charge of a platelayer from Sawston who had come to search the line. Witness examines the place next morning, and saw that the ballast had been scraped up for about 19 yards, which suggested that Woolnough had rolled that distance. If he had fallen from the mail train he would go head over heals.
CLOTHE TORN AT THE NECK
George Bass, 128, Mill Road, Cambridge, a police constable on the G.E.R., said he was on duty at Cambridge Station at 12.05 a.m. on the 23rd inst. On the arrival of the mail train from London he saw two Navy men standing at a carriage door, and as something seemed to be wrong he went up to them, and they told him what had happened. He examined the lock of the door and the door itself, and both were in working order. It was possible to open the door from the inside. Woolnough was brought to Cambridge Station about 2.45. He had a first-class warrant from Portland to Lowestoft. His clothes were slightly torn about the neck, and gave the appearance that he had been dragged a short distance. He was taken to the Hospital at once. Witness heard him call out “Horace” two or three times, and “Lowestoft” once.
In answer to Superintendent West, witness said there was no appearance whatever in the carriage of a struggle having taken place.
HEAD BADLY SMASHED
Dr. Hamed Mahmud, house surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, said Woolnough was admitted to the hospital at three o’clock on Saturday morning. He was more unconscious that conscious, and he kept murmuring “Rotten” when asked how he was. That was all witness could get out of him. His head was bandaged with two handkerchiefs, and both were saturated with blood. His face was covered with blood also, which came from the head. He was in a collapsed condition, and his temperature would not rise at all. His left leg was paralysed and three fingers were broken. The wounds were consistent with having fallen out of a train. He made no progress whatever, and died at 11.30 on the following evening without regaining consciousness. He had concussion of the brain, which results in haemorrhage. The brain was badly bruised, and that there was a fracture of the skull as well, but not sufficient to account for death. There were no other injuries likely to cause death. He died from shock following the injuries. 
SEVERAL POUNDS IN GOLD
The Coroner (Mr. H. Saunders French) said he might mention a fact that was not brought out in the evidence. Woolnough had no trouble of a monetary character, because he had several pounds in gold on him. It could only be assumed, he thought, that he had got up out of his sleep and was making his way possibly to the lavatory, and by mistake opened the carriage door instead of the corridor door, and fell out. There was no evidence, so far as they could ascertain, of anything but an accident.
ACCIDENTAL DEATH
The jury returned a verdict that Woolnough met his death by accident, as the result of shock following on injuries sustained by falling from the train on which he was travelling. The Foreman remarked that they wishes to thank the [police and railway officials for getting the evidence together.

Note: Commonwealth War Graves records state that Herbert served with the trawler Royallien. There was no such vessel. The naval-history net website suggests that he served with the Royallieu, which is possible, but his Royal Naval Reserve service card shows the vessel as the Royalo.