ARC TBC..Stourport Weir Drowning 1955

[TumpJack]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this. A few weeks ago, I was searching the Black Country Bugle website and found a story referring to a Nancy Anslow who died in the river in Stourport whilst on a work trip and yesterday my Grandfather, Barry Anslow, referred to a young girl whom he was related to, I believe cousins or second cousins they were but he can't be sure, who died drowning in the weir at Stourport, so I began searching for this Nancy and how we were related to her, but was unable to find anything, not a death record or even a birth in Dudley, where my Granddad was born or the surrounding area. I did think Nancy could have been a nickname or a middle name. My Granddad did say he couldn't remember her name so I was wondering if anyone could help me out in any way at all. The article on the Black Country Bugle website what mentions one of the other people's names who died with her. The article said there were three other people on the weir at that time, Kath Wilks and another Wilks who was her brother. Well, upon searching death records in the district of Stourport, nothing. It did say three of the bodies were recovered but Nancy was sadly not one of them. I did a search for just a Wilkes death over there with them being quite young, so I searched for them between the ages of 15-35, then I found 3 Wilkes' who died in the same quarter, all of them between the ages of 17 and 19 and all registered at Worcester, near Stourport, one of them being a Mary K Wilkes, then I assumed that Kath was a nickname she went by.
I then searched the Dudley Council Genealogy Research Service from a Mary Wilkes who died in 1955 and I found it, a Mary Kathleen Wilkes, buried with a man who died on the same day as her called Harold Edwin Wilkes, so supposedly her brother and a woman who probably their mother. They both died on the 14th May 1955 and were buried the same day at Dudley Cemetery on the 3rd June 1955, so I am quite confident that this tragic event happened on the 14th May 1955 on the River Severn in Stourport.
So if anyone could help, it would be a massive help to me, so I can get to the bottom of this.

Thanks,

Jack

[gardener]

Could this be the drowning, picked up by Yorkshire paper two days later?


4 swept over weir and drowned
“... “We shot the weir purposely in an effort to save our friends. We had pulled into the side when saw the other boat approaching the weir ... ”

First match of your search in this article.

Monday 16 May 1955 , Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer , West Yorkshire, England
Type: Article Words: 279 Page: 1 Tags: none
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

[gardener]

Someone with a sub to Findmypast could get it for you

"4 swept over weir and drowned SEARCH was continued yesterday for lour yound Dudley (Worcestershire) people missing after two rowing boats containing six members of a coach party, had been swept over a weir by the fast-flowing Severn at Worcester on Saturday"
16 May 1955 - Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

[gardener]

Was it two brothers and a sister? Or cousins?

Deaths Jun 1955

Wilkes Harold E 18 Worcester 9d 277
Wilkes Mary K 17 Worcester 9d 277
Wilkes Raymond 19 Worcester 9d 277

I suppose that if Nancy's body was not found then there would be no certificate.

[TumpJack]

Hi,

Ann Mansell was the married name of my Granddad's second cousin. I can't find a death for her either. Her maiden name was Anslow and Nancy is a nickname for someone called Ann. I think we've got to the bottom of it.

Thank you ever so much,

Jack Fern

[Maths girl]

Hi Jack -- see pm -- with reference to newspaper cutting

Maths girl

[Jimmy]

Part of what was in the Times on Monday, May 16, 1955;

Boating accidents on Saturday.
Four were in a boat which was swept over Diglis weir, on the river Seven at Worcester.
The four victims of the first accident were a brother and sister, a young married woman and a youth. they were in a coaching party which had come from Dudley. Two young men in the party , Edward Moore and Gerald Green both of Dudley, who were in another boat were swept over the weir at the same spot, but one of them reached the bank unaided and the other was rescued by a lock keeper.
None of the bodies of the four who are believed to have died have been recovered.
The victims were:
Kathleen Lee, age 19, and her brother Harold Lee aged 18, of Hillside Road, Dudley; Mrs Ann Mansell, aged 21, of Wrens Hill Road, Dudley; and Raymond Wilkes aged 17, of Wrens Nest Road, Dudley.

[Hunter wilkes]

RIP great aunt kath and great uncle Harold xxx there 3 Wilkes and Ann Nancy anslow with a death thy were all out on a day out at stourport meny from the wrens nest went on a day out this day and meny went over the weir but these were the 4not to survive Kathleen and Harold were brother and sister the other Wilkes was no relative atall

[Hunter wilkes]

If there is enybody tht would liek to see the newspaper article too thois email me on karladamjohnwilkes@gmail.com my kind regards hunter

[Northern Lass]

Do you still need help with this topic?
Unless otherwise will move to archived topics shortly, should you need it back pls pm me
and I will bring it back to board for further help and discussion.