See also

Charles Herbert GIBSON (1905-1932)

Name: Charles Herbert GIBSON1,2
Sex: Male
Alt. Name: Charles Herbert GIBSON1
Father: William James GIBSON (1871-1957)
Mother: Alice BELLRINGER (1878- )

Individual Events and Attributes

Birth 1905 Ealing, London, England1
Census 2 Apr 1911 (age 5) Canterbury, Kent, England3
Lyndhurst, St Stephens Rd, Canterbury
DecoratrionsHonours btw 1926 and 1932 (age 20-27) Oxford Rugby Blue
He had played rugby for Oxford and Blackheath, later for Birkenhead Park and Cheshire County
Occupation c. 1931 (age 25-26) Research Chemist; Northwich, Cheshire, England
ICI Winnington Laboratory
Death 18 Sep 1932 (age 27) Northwich, Cheshire, England1
Cause: suicide while temporarily insane from a dose of potassiun cyanide
Address: Greenbank Hotel

Individual Note

The Daily Mirror, Tuesday Sept 20 1932

 

RUGBY BLUE DEAD IN HOTEL ROOM

POLICE BREAK OPEN DOOR

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

Northwich, (Cheshire), Monday

When police broke open the door of his room at a local hotel, they found Charles Gibson, the well-known Oxford Rugby Blue, lying dead on the bed.

 

Death, it is understood, was caused by poison. A note which is believed to have some bearing on the tragedy was found nearby.

 

Gibson was wearing only his pyjamas and a dressing gown.

 

During the past four years Gibson was employed on the technical staff at the Winnington works of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., and was very popular with all his colleagues.

 

Twenty-six years old, he played Rugby for Oxford and Blackheath, and latterly for Birkenhead Park and Cheshire County.

 

He was last seen alive on Saturday night, when he seemed to be his normal cheerful self.

 

 

Hull and East Yorkshire Times, Saturday, 24 September, 1932

 

FATAL DESPAIR

Why Fine Athlete Took

His Life

A pathetic letter was read at the inquest at Northwich (Cheshire) on Tuesday on Mr. Charles Herbert Gibson, the young Oxford Rugby Blue, who was found dead in a room at the Greenbank Hotel, Northwich, on Sunday. A verdict of “Suicide while temporarily insane” was returned.

 

Mr. James Gibson, a retired Army officer of Regent’s Park Road, Finchley, N., the father, broke down when about to give evidence.

 

He said that his son was 27 and was a chemist employed by Imperial Chemical Industries at Winnington. He had accepted an appointment in India.

 

The secretary of the Imperial Chemical Industries (Alkali), Ltd., said Gibson had been offered an important appointment in India, but it was subject to a satisfactory examination.

 

POSSIBLE DIABETES

This was carried out by Professor Warrington York, of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the report was adverse.

 

The coroner said that there was little doubt that the cause of death was poisoning. The fact that he had considered himself a fit man physically, and was such a fine athlete, and then was told he was not so strong as he thought he was, would have an adverse effect on his mind.

 

Unfortunately the professor found a slight heart lesion and also a trace of sugar, suggesting diabetes. The result was that his prospects of going to India were shattered.

In the letter which Gibson left to him (the coroner) and the police, he said:--

 

“The simple facts are I have been diagnosed as suffering from a practically incurable disease, and as I have always taken the greatest pride in my health and physical well-being, I cannot stand the thought of a crippled and practically useless life, and so I am taking potassium cyanide to end it all.

Sources

1Bruce Bellringer's Family Tree.
2www.heardfamilyhistory.org.uk. This GEDCOM is predominantly the work of Nick Heard, but it incorporates the collaborated work of many other family historians. You are welcome to use the information herein but please acknowledge the source. Every effort has been made to ensure the data is accurate, but any use you make of it is entirely at your own risk. (c) Nick Heard 2009
3Text From Source: Name Related Cond Age Occupation Birth Place
William James Gibson Head Mar 39 Army Bandmaster Brighton, Sussex, England
Alice Gibson Wife Mar 32 Hoxton, London, England
William Laurence Gibson Son Unm 11 Scholar Whitton, Middlesex, England
Alice Frances Gibson Dau Unm 8 Scholar Ealing, London, England
Charles Herbert Gibson Son Unm 5 Scholar Hendon,London, England
Marjorie Hilda Gibson Dau Unm 3 Potchefstroom, North West Province, South Africa
RG14/4337 RG78/174 RD58 SD1 ED17 SN114. Cit. Date: 2 April 1911. Assessment: Secondary evidence.