DEATH OF DOCTOR V.C.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 October 1933, Page 3

DEATH OF DOCTOR V.C.

OVERDOSE OF OPIUM

LONDON, August 29.

A verdict that death was due to an overdose of opium by misadventure was returned at the inquest at Chichester yesterday on Major William Barnsley Allen, V.C., D. 5.0., M.C. Major Allen was found unconscious in bed' at his home at Bracklesham, near Chichester, where he was a medical practitioner. The coroner (Mr F. B. Tompkins) referred to the sad nature of the case and Major Allen’s brilliant career. He said that Major Allen’s wife was ill in a musing home. He understood that she would have tcld him that her husband was in the habit of taking drugs direct from the bottle without measuring the dose. In that case an accident could easily have occurred.

Joseph Henry Nicholas, of Cheapside, E.C., a chartered accountant, said that the major was 41 years of age, and was badly wounded many times in the war, and suffered from the wounds and insomnia. He was in the habit of taking drugs to induce sleep. William Dickenson, a man employed by Major Allen, said that he saw the major the night before his death when he was in bed, and he asked him (Dickenson) to sit down and have a cigarette with him. Major Allen then appeared to be normal. He had been with the major for four years, and knew that he was in the habit of taking drugs.

Dr. C. R. Sadler said that he was called by telephone. He found the major propped up in bed, in accordance with instructions he had given over the telephone. The major was blue in the face, absolutely unconscious, and was breathing very slowly. His pupils were contracted and his temperature abnormal. He died about halt-an-liour later.

He knew that Major Allen took dings—veronal, opium and morphia—but he had no idea of the quantity he used. He knew fropi his condition yesterday that it must have been a fairly large amount. Death was due to opium poisoning. ( Major Allen was awarded the V.C. on October 26, 1916, while on service on the Somme. The official records give the following description of his heroism: —

“When gun detachments were unloading high explosive ammunition from wagons which bad just come up. the enemy suddenly began to shell the battery position. ‘“rhe first shell fell on one of the limbers, exploded the ammunition, and caused several casualties. Captain Allen saw the occurrence, and at once, with utter disregard of danger, ran straight across the open under heavy shell lire, started dressing the wounded, and undoubtedly by his promptness saved many of them from bleeding to death. “He was himself hit four times during the first hour by pieces of shells, one of which fractured two of his ribs, but he never even mentioned this at the time, and coollj' went on with his work till the last man was dressed and safely removed.

“He. then went over to another battel y and tended a wounded officer. It. was only when this was done that he returned to the dugout and reported bis own injury.” Major Allen was born at Sheffield

and educated at Worksop College and

Sheffield University. After a brilliant medical career—he gained the Gold Medal for Pathology in 1913, and three other medals and a sholarship award—he joined the Army four days after the outbreak of the war.

He married at Gainsborough in May, 1916, Mary Young, younger daughter of W. Y. Mercer, of Gainsborough, and in the following August won the M.G. In the same year, near Mesnil, on the Scnimc, he won the V.C. In July, 1917, Captain Allen, as he then was, received a bar to the- M.C., and was invalided to England' in the same month.

In January, 1918, he was made acting major, and in October the same year was invalided for the second time to England and awarded the D.S.O. He had served in France three years and two months.

Major Allen was wounded in the chest, undergoing an operation with-

out an anaesthetic. Later he was wounded in the eyes, being blind for six months. Altogether he was wounded seven times. When the war ended he went to India, where he contracted malaria and dysentery. Returning to England, he gradually recovered, but later suffered from sleepy sickness, malaria, dysentery and pleurisy.