• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

PhD Research. Fatal Drownings in 20th Century Birmingham

Liz Gurney said:
That's brilliant. Thank you so much. I would love to hear more on your adventures building canoes.
I read a good book on the Severn. "Disasters on the Severn" by Chris Witts. It gives a great insight to just how savage it could be.
Click to expand...
I do know Chris Witts, a very nice chap. He has authored several books and is a font of knowledge on the Severn. He was a boat skipper on the Severn Working boats, well worth having a chat to him.
 
Well just PM me and ill let you have his contact details or ill even introduce you. He’s a dam good guys whose always supportive of people who are interested.

One book I will say is absolutely essential if studying the Severn is Brian Waters Severn Stream. Its out of print now but there are lots of copy’s available second hand.

Brian Waters was born in Tewksbury, Gloucestershire in 1907. He was an author, editor and poet, he wrote and published several books; most notably Severn Tide in 1947 and Severn Stream in 1949; both books telling anecdotal stories about his travels along the river Severn. Waters’ books are in fact significant accounts of our past and give us an insight into the lives of ordinary people; people who believe that their history is not important enough to become history.

More about him here https://riversevern.wordpress.com/about/
 
My partners niece and nephew went missing in 1960 and were both found drowned in the River Arrow. She was only 4 years old, however I am unsure how old her brother was.

There were articles in Birmingham newspapers because I have read them at Birmingham Archives but I cannot find anything on searching the newspaper section on FMP or Newspapers.com

William.
 
Morturn said:
Well just PM me and ill let you have his contact details or ill even introduce you. He’s a dam good guys whose always supportive of people who are interested.

One book I will say is absolutely essential if studying the Severn is Brian Waters Severn Stream. Its out of print now but there are lots of copy’s available second hand.

Brian Waters was born in Tewksbury, Gloucestershire in 1907. He was an author, editor and poet, he wrote and published several books; most notably Severn Tide in 1947 and Severn Stream in 1949; both books telling anecdotal stories about his travels along the river Severn. Waters’ books are in fact significant accounts of our past and give us an insight into the lives of ordinary people; people who believe that their history is not important enough to become history.

More about him here https://riversevern.wordpress.com/about/
Click to expand...
Thank you. You are a legend!
 
williamjukes said:
My partners niece and nephew went missing in 1960 and were both found drowned in the River Arrow. She was only 4 years old, however I am unsure how old her brother was.

There were articles in Birmingham newspapers because I have read them at Birmingham Archives but I cannot find anything on searching the newspaper section on FMP or Newspapers.com

William.
Click to expand...
Wow, thank you so much. I'll keep you updated if I find out anything more.
 
I went though the ice just down from Walsall Rd locks
wearing a duffle coat pockets full of 303s from under River Tame bridge
by the ICI my mate John Coffee pulled me out
back to his house stood in front of a raging fire
minus 303s of course
Bone dry in no time
 
Donbogen said:
I went though the ice just down from Walsall Rd locks
wearing a duffle coat pockets full of 303s from under River Tame bridge
by the ICI my mate John Coffee pulled me out
back to his house stood in front of a raging fire
minus 303s of course
Bone dry in no time
Click to expand...
Oh good grief! I'm glad you were OK. Can I ask how you ended up in the water? Did you slip or are you an ice skating champ getting some practice in!
 
BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WON'T DROWN
Telegram in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons (1930)
I am naturally very sorry for those who lost children in drowning incidents. In the 1960s and 70s we were allowed to roam and explore before the growth of health and safety culture.
 
Last edited:
Donbogen said:
I went though the ice just down from Walsall Rd locks
wearing a duffle coat pockets full of 303s from under River Tame bridge
by the ICI my mate John Coffee pulled me out
back to his house stood in front of a raging fire
minus 303s of course
Bone dry in no time
Click to expand...
You were lucky, it’s a wonder you did not fry in your own fat falling in the Rivar Tame, it was so polluted then like a river of toxic waste.
 
Eric Gibson said:
My late wife's brother drowned as a child in Finchley Park pool but I think the only notice was from his mother who put a small notice in one of the newspapers. His name was Paddy Cox (maybe Patrick) I can't remember the dates but it would have been in the 1930s or early 40s
Click to expand...
There is a death registered for Patrick J Cox, aged 8 in the 1st quarter of 1941 in Birmingham.
I think his birth might be 4th quarter 1932, Mother's maiden name Barlow, also Birmingham.
 
There most certainly was a pool in Finchley Park, I recall it was a paddling pool lined with concrete 2 or 3 feet deep, so enough to drown someone. Of course, in 1941 it may have not been concreted, a wild pond. Ill have a look at the maps later.
 
Its looking like it was a fishpond for years, maybe associated with Oscott College. Then was remodelled into a paddling pool when the adjacent social housing was built in between the wars. It was fed by a natural spring which I recall Pedrocut may know a bit more about.

I too did my share of that tunnel trip you mention too. There was a branch in the stream behind the prefabs that lead under College Road, and then to almost Warren farm Swimming Baths. Its was too dark to go any further for us as kids.
 
hope no one minds but reading these sad stories about the young children that died from drowning and even the sad cases we hear of today prompted me over 3 years ago to start paying for my grandson who is 8 to have swimming lessons every saturday morning which he loves...he still has about 3 levels to go before they finish but already he is an accomplished swimmer and is thinking about taking life saving lessons at some point... i do understand that sometimes being able to swim can not always save you it must help and give us a chance..sadly his school like many others in birmingham do not seem to have swimming lessons anymore which seems a real shame as it is so important to learn..his sister who is 3 will be starting them soon..

lyn
 
Astoness said:
hope no one minds but reading these sad stories about the young children that died from drowning and even the sad cases we hear of today prompted me over 3 years ago to start paying for my grandson who is 8 to have swimming lessons every saturday morning which he loves...he still has about 3 levels to go before they finish but already he is an accomplished swimmer and is thinking about taking life saving lessons at some point... i do understand that sometimes being able to swim can not always save you it must help and give us a chance..sadly his school like many others in birmingham do not seem to have swimming lessons anymore which seems a real shame as it is so important to learn..his sister who is 3 will be starting them soon..

lyn
Click to expand...
I agree Lyn, we took our children when small to the baths and both learned to swim. We had moved within yards of a canal. My daughter jumped in twice when she was out with a schoolfriend. As you say, being able to swim won't always save you in open cold water. But it can't hurt. Amongst the canal workers some seem to have been drunk and lost their footing at night. But non-swimmers in open water are in danger. Derek
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top