South Yorkshire Times, September 1st, 1951
Thurnscoe Man’s Fatal Fall
On Way to Wife’s Grave
“Misadventure” was the verdict at an inquest at Barnsley on Wednesday on Tom Spencer, an 83-year-old retired miner, of High Street, Thurnscoe, who died in Barnsley Beckett Hospital on Saturday after falling down and breaking his leg at Thurnscoe last July.
Frederick Charles Baxter, miner, Bolton-on-Dearne Road, Highgate, a nephew, said that his uncle had not suffered from ill-health in recent years but was “bad on his legs.” He went about on two sticks. He lost his wife earlier this year and recently had had stone erected on her grave. He had said he wanted to go and see this, but they advised him not to go alone.
Spencer lived by himself, and witness heard later that he had had an accident. He went to see his uncle in Barnsley Beckett Hospital, where he told witness he had had a fall while crossing a field on his way to the cemetery.
Dr. J. Hegarty, Barnsley Beckett Hospital, said death was due to pneumonia following a fractured leg.