WILLIAM KYLE HARDY

INQUEST ON GENERAL HARDY

“ACCIDENTAL DEATH”

At the inquest on Brig. General William Kyle Hardy, held at his residence, 8 Buckingham-road, Newbury, on Thursday morning last, the theory was put forward that when the General went to bed following a hot bath he fell quickly asleep forgetting about the gas fire being alight, that somehow the flames were extinguished, and he was overcome by inhaling the carbon-monoxide gas. The Borough Coroner, Mr. A.V. Pinniger, said he had not the least doubt that the General met his death accidentally, and a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence was recorded.

PREFERRED TO SLEEP IN CAMP BED

Mr. Hubert Kyle Hardy, son of the deceased gave evidence of identification. He said that his father was a retired Brigadier-General of the Royal Artillery and was 71 years of age. Except when attended by Dr. Wood three weeks ago when he slightly injured his leg when struck by a motor-car, deceased had not had a doctor for years and he enjoyed good health. He appeared to be in his usual health and appetite on the Tuesday evening, and witness saw him when he retired to his bedroom about 9.30pm. Previous to supper he had had a hot bath, and he remarked that the water was unusually hot. He had spent many years in India camping out, and since he had preferred to sleep in a camp bed, which he did on the Tuesday night. Sometimes he had rather restless nights, and he used to get up very early in the morning and make himself a cup of tea. They did not hear him about during the Tuesday night. It was the General's habit to sleep with the window open.

About a month ago, continued witness, General Hardy had a small gas fire fitted in his bedroom and he used to light it when he wanted it. He was very pleased with it, and as far as witness knew had experienced no difficulty with it. He always lit it and turned it out himself. Mr. hardy said that he was in his bedroom dressing on the Wednesday morning when he heard a commotion downstairs, and on going down he was told what had happened and he at once telephoned for a doctor.

FOUND BY HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER

Miss Janet Irene Hardy said that just before going to bed on the Tuesday evening her father handed her a letter to read and asked her to give it back to him in the morning. He was very interested in ancient kilns, and the letter dealt with this subject. He was looking forward to investigating this matter, for which he had made arrangements. Next morning, about 8.30, her mother went into her father's bedroom and immediately called witness. She went and found her father lying on the floor. He was in his night attire and unconscious, and he never spoke at all. Noticing a strong smell of gas in the room, she saw that the gas fire was turned on but not alight. She thought the gas tap was nearly full on. She turned it off and put her coat round her father also a hot water bottle, and sent for a doctor. The window in the bedroom was open as usual.

DOCTOR'S EVIDENCE

Dr. C.E. Riddiough Wood said he was called to see General Hardy at about 9.5am on December 9th. He found him lying on the floor bedside his bed in a room in which there was a strong smell of coal gas. He was evidently dying, as he could feel no pulse and the respirations were very laboured. He administered oxygen and heart stimulants, but he died in a few minutes. Witness made a post-mortem on the Coroner's order and found no evidence of apoplexy nor of heart failure, nor was there any gross disease in any of the organs. The blood was remarkable for being pink in colour, which was typical of coal gas poisoning.

Dr Wood said he presumed what most likely happened was that the General went to bed after his hot bath and quickly fell asleep, forgetting that the gas fire was on, and somehow the flames went out during the night. Maybe he noticed a strong smell of gas and got out of bed to try to turn the tap off, and collapsed.

The Coroner: Being on the floor it would be still more dangerous?-Yes.

Even though the window was open, in eleven hours he would have inhaled enough carbon-monoxide to kill him, concluded the doctor.

THE VERDICT

The Coroner said he had not the slightest doubt that General Hardy met his death quite accidentally. There was not the least evidence or presumption that it was a case of suicide, so he would record a verdict as follows: “Died from coal gas poisoning when the gas fire was accidentally unlighted and not turned off.”

The Coroner added that he would like to thank Dr Wood for coming to the house so extraordinarily quickly.

Newbury Weekly News 10 December 1936

Mrs P. p. 168 P (B) 20

died 9 December 1936 aged 71

The National Archives

WILLIAM KYLE HARDY

                “The death of Brigadier-General W. Kyle Hardy is felt deeply by all members of the Newbury District Field Club. His keen enthusiasm, his varied and extensive knowledge, his practical work in excavation, his modesty about his achievements and the charm of his lectures to the Club make an enduring loss and an unforgettable memory.

                The son of Major-Gen. Frederick hardy, C.B., who served throughout the Indian Mutiny, Brig.-Gen. W.K. hardy passed second into the R. Mil. Acad., Woolwich, straight from Winchester College and went to India on obtaining his commission in the Royal Artillery in 1885.

                Though a keen soldier and a great sportsman he combined with both an interest in archaeology. When out shooting on one occasion, he found that his shikari had set out his meal on the skull of a pre-historic elephant which had been lately exposed in the cliff of a river valley. He determined to attempt to take one of the great tusks back with him and, with infinite difficulty, the small party managed to transport it to civilisation and present it to the museum at Secunderabad.

                He was an authority on Indian Birds and Fishes, and had a great knowledge of the languages of the Tribes on the North-West frontier; here he collected a number of silver Greco-Bactrian coins of about B.C. 300, used by Alexander the Great in Northern India. As a subaltern he shot a record tiger, a man-eater, a fact remembered, years after, by his sole shikari , when another huge beast almost rivalled it, and the records of the Native State were consulted to prove the dimensions.

                He took part in the Black Mountain Expedition of 1891 and commanded one of the Mountain Batteries but, even then, he collected a root of the black poppy which survived the journey home and thrived and flowered at Cork.

                In the Great War he served in Mesopotamia, and was mention[ed] in Dispatches. He was in action at Kut in 1914, at Sheil Said, Wadi Falayah and Saurayah. Promoted Brigadier-General in 1916, he served at the capture of Saurayah and throughout the hard-fought advance on Bagdad(sic). He commanded the 7^th Division R.A. in 1917 until invalided. On his return to England, a year later, he commanded the Forts at Weymouth and Portland. He retired in 1920.

                One of his latest archaeological achievements was the discovery and excavation of a Romano-British kiln (circa A.D. 400) at Woodrow’s Farm, in Compton parish, close to the Aldworth boundary. This unique find was taken to London by the authorities and re-erected in the Science Museum at South Kensington. Owing to its great weight, 5 tons, it is placed in the basement, in the children’s section.

                                                                                                                                                D.S. “

WILLIAM KYLE HARDY

TRAGIC DEATH OF BRIG.-GEN. W.K.HARDY

ACCIDENT WITH GAS FIRE DISTINGUISHED MILITARY CAREER

The death occurred yesterday (Wednesday) morning in tragic circumstances of Brigadier-General W.K. Hardy at his home in Buckingham-road, Newbury. His daughter found him lying unconscious in his bedroom and he died a few minutes after the arrival of Dr. C. E. R. Woods. A gas fire was turned on and the windows and a ventilator were open, indicating that death was due to an accident. It was Brig. General Harding's custom on cold nights to turn on the gas fire, which he installed in his bedroom about a month ago, and it appears that yesterday morning it was turned on but was not lit. The facts have been reported to the Borough Coroner, Mr. S.V. Pinniger, who is to hold an inquest.

Brigadier-General William Kyle Hardy, late Royal Artillery, was descended from distinguished families. His father Major-General Frederick Hardy, C.B., Hon. Colonel of the York and Lancaster Regt., served through the Indian Mutiny and was present at the relief of Lucknow. He traced his descent from a Huguenot family, which fled to Ireland to escape persecution and settled in Cork.

His mother was descended from the Scottish Kyle family, which settled in Northern Ireland during Stuart times. As a boy he lived in Dublin with his grandfather, Archdeacon Kyle, while his parents were abroad. His great-grandfather was Bishop Kyle of Cork and a great friend of Sir Walter Scott and Raeburn.

All his five brothers and two brothers-in-law served in either the Army or Navy, and one, Admiral C.T. Hardy, A.D.C. to H.M. the late King George, died recently.

He was educated at Winchester and Woolwich Academy, and on receiving his commission he went to serve in India for 32 years, except for a brief spell at Malta.

He was a keen sportsman, a strong swimmer, holding the R.H.S. medal for saving the life of a soldier in India: a first-class angler and expert shot, he accounted for a record tiger. He had a narrow escape on one occasion from a bear, when completely disarmed, and was one of the few men who have been hugged by a bear and lived to tell the story.

Since his retirement, he developed an interest in archaeology, and was on the committees of the Berkshire Archaeological Society and of the Newbury Field Club. He was a member of the Southern Counties Archaeological Society, and was constantly engaged in field work on the downs. Last year he discovered and assisted in excavating a pottery kiln at Aldworth nearly 2,000 years old This was a unique find, and considered of such importance that it was taken intact to London by the authorities of the Science Museum at South Kensington and re-erected there. He went to the official opening and Press view of the kiln only last week, In India he was regarded as an authority on Indian birds and fishes.

For many years he was a sidesman at the Newbury Parish Church, and was on the Parochial Council and the Finance Committee, and attended all the meetings with great regularity.

Military Service.

He spent most of his life on the North-West frontier, and was an expert on the languages of that troubled area. For many years he commanded one of the famous mountain batteries. He served in the Hazara expedition of 1897, and was awarded a medal on that occasion.

During the War, he served in Mesopotamia on the march to Kut, in the action at Kut at the end of 1914, and in actions at Sheil Said, Wadi Falalyah and Saunayah. He was promoted Temp. Brig.-General in 1916, was in action opposite Kut, November and December 1916, at the capture of Saunayah and the advance on Bagdad. He was also in action at Shava Khan in April, 1917, and in the advance on Samara and the actions at Khan Mustedin and Beled. He commanded the Royal Artillery 7th Division as Brig. General in 1917, and commanded no. 3 section Tigris River Tigris defences in May 1917. In 1917 he was invalided back to India, after which he returned to England and commanded the forts at Weymouth and Portland until his retirement on reaching the age limit in 1920. He was offered an appointment in Egypt, but had to refuse it on account of his health.

He was mentioned in despatches during the Mesopotamian campaign. Brig.-General Hardy had lived in Newbury for the past eight years. Only on Tuesday he visited the Newbury Museum and was in the best of spirits. He leaves a widow, one son and two daughters, for whom great sympathy is felt.

The funeral is to be private, and there will be no flowers by request.

Newbury Weekly News 10 December 1936