CYRIL ARMOUR WAS KILLED BY FALL FROM CLIFF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18623, 27 November 1928, Page 4

CYRIL ARMOUR WAS KILLED BY FALL FROM CLIFF.

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST SHOWS FATALITY WAS NOT DUE TO DROWNING,

A verdict that Cyril Campbell Armour. son of the Rev T. W. Armour, evidently met his death by falling over a cliff at Whitewash Head" on Saturday was returned bv the Coroner, Mr E. D. Mosley, who conducted an inquest yesterday. The Coroner said that death was evidently due to a fall over the cliff on to the beach. James Thomson, who gave evidence of identification, said he had known deceased since the boy was four or five years old. His average health was good, and witness would regard him as a strong boy. He was a pupil at Elmwood School. Kenneth lan Armour, a brother, said that on Saturday last he . went with his mother and his brother to Sumner. They had intended to climb the track at Scarborough, but the deceased did not wish to do so. They went to the beach not far from the life saving pavilion. Witness and his mother sat down and his brother went away to amuse himself. He was away about half an hour and returned and then went away again. That would be about 4 pm. Witness and his mother remained on the beach for perhaps an hour. Witness whistled to attract the attention of his brother, but got no response. Then they searched the sandhills down toward Scarborough without success. Some friends down there said they had seen nothing of the boy, so they turned back, witness's mother going through the town, while witness went along the beach. A further search failed to rfeveal any trace of the boy. They then rang up their home on the off chance that the boy might have returned home, and got no answer. After a further futile search they returned home about S p.m. There was no trace of the boy having been home. Eater the matter was reported to the police at Sumner. The boy underwent an operation about a month ago to an ear. Witness said his brother was inclined to be venturesome, almost foolhardy, and would not think twice about doing anything daring. Witness did not think his brother knew of the track round the cliffs. Constable Hampton, of Sumner, said he made inquiries for the missing boy on Saturday night without success. On Sunday witness went round Whitewash Head in a launch. He saw the body lying on the rocks. He secured the body and brought it to town. The body was naked except for the shirt and stockings. There was one sandshoe underneath the cliff near the body. Both legs were broken, and the left arm was broken in three places. There was a bad cut on the side of the head. The body was otherwise scratched and torn, apparently by rocks. If the boy had fallen over the cliff he would not have struck the water. Witness thought part of the boy’s clothing was torn off during his fall down the cliff. The last that had been seen of the boy so far as inquiries had revealed was at 4 p.m. on Saturday, when he was seen climbing up a pipe on the Scarborough hillside. The Coroner said that the boy, evidently in a spirit of adventure, essayed the task that was, in itself, extremely dangerous, of climbing round the cliffs near Whitewash Head. One could only surmise that this young lad slipped and fell down the cliffs on to the boulder beach, sustaining injuries through which no one could hope to live. “ I am sure," added the Coroner, “ that all of us who know Mr and Mrs Armour or know of them, will sympathise with them and their family in the Loss of this son, more especially as Mr Armour is absent at the present time. The sympathies of all will go out to them in the dire trouble that has overtaken them." Mr Thomson, on behalf of Mr Armour and his family, thanked the Coroner for his expression of sympathy. “ Mr and Mrs Armour will appreciate what you have said, and I thank you on their behalf,” he said.