Shornden Reservoir
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Drowning of young boy[edit]
In April 1930, a coroner's inquest was conducted at the Silverhill Schools to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drowning of a young boy. The inquiry revealed "extraordinary" evidence regarding the incident, in which a small group of onlookers failed to intervene while a young boy drowned in shallow water just a few feet from the edge[1].
The victim, Frederick Clifford Lockyer, a four-year-old boy and son of William Lockyer, a bus cleaner residing at 1 Sun Beam Cottages, Duke Road, was playing - throwing stones into the water, by the Alexandra Park Reservoir on the afternoon of Tuesday when he lost his balance and fell into the water[1].
Although several people gathered at the scene, no immediate effort was made to rescue the child until the arrival of William Henry Neve, a chauffeur of 128 Bohemia Road, who waded into the water and retrieved the boy[1].
"I can hardly conceive the possibility for that boy to have been drowned," remarked the Borough Coroner, Mr. H. C. Davenport Jones, as he opened the inquest. Addressing the jury later, he added: "I think you will agree with that it is rather difficult for me alone to hold this inquiry and arrive satisfactory conclusion. It is true that there is no question about the manner in which this boy met his death. The only feature is the fact that Mr. Neve did what one would expect any ordinary man to do. You can picture to yourselves the possibility of getting the boy out by anyone with reasonable sense and with some small degree of courage. If an attempt had been made some fifteen minutes earlier the boy would have probably been alive. I must leave it you, gentlemen. I will not say anything more.[1]"
Following deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of "Death by misadventure."[1]
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