“DIFFICULT” WIFE

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 March 1939, Page 10

“DIFFICULT” WIFE

DIED OF EXPOSURE. LONDON, January 10. A doctor described at the Tunbridge Wells inquest yesterday on his wife, how she tried to dominate everybody and always insisted that she was right. The woman was Mrs Grace Mary Otway Aylward, 50, wife of Dr. Roy Douglas Aylward, of Bretland, Rusthall. A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded. Dr Aylward said that in recent years his life with his wife had become difficult. She would not be con tent merely to go her own way but insisted on trying to arrange everything for everybody else. When others outside the family were present or when she wai away from home she was perfectly charming. Her condition was growing progressively worse. She began to do curious things and blame other people. Things weie damaged or missing and she wopld say it must be the maid.

Last year his wife went, on her own initiative, to a private nursing home. She used to come home frequently. She did not announce that she was coming, and after each visit they found something upset, displaced or damaged. When she finally returned home on December 17 she was restless and behaving rather worse than she had done previously. She interfered with everybody.

On December 19 there was further trouble. Dr. Aylward told how she upset the cook and how the kitchen door and the doors of the dispensary and surgery were locked to keep her out. On that day Mrs Aylward handed him an envelope saying she was making all her final arrangements. She said: “Here is my will,” and gave him 10/- to buy a Christmas present. He thought that by her reference to “final arrangements” she meant suicide, buj. she had said that sort of thing often before.

Dr. Aylward said that before leaving the house that morning lie took the ignition key from his car, but when he returned his wife and the car had gone. The car was found in a garage at Langton. He reported his wife’s disappearance to the police. On the night of December 21 he found her dead in the summerhouse. His wife was a trained nurse. She had a knowledge of drugs far above the average.

Dr. C. H. Rogerson, medical- superintendent of the Cassels Hospital, Swaylands, said Mrs Aylward was a patient there from March until December 17. suffering from a personality disorder. Mr F. W. F. Arno, county analyst, stated that he found nearly 14 grains of a barbituric in her body. Dr. F. C. Linton said that she had been dead roughly 24 hours when he saw her. Her appearance was consistent with death from cold. The Coroner. Mr IL .1. Soady, ruled out any suggestion of suicide. He said, that on the morning of December 19 there had been an upset in the house. He thought that Mrs Aylward could not face her home again that night. She decided to spend the night in the summerhouse and possibly before lying down took an opiate to induce sleep. She was overtaken by the cold and died of exposure.