Mary Elizabeth Wicks
In
Loving Memory of
A DEAR DAUGHTER
MARY ELIZABETH WICKS
ACCIDENTLY DROWNED
27TH JUNE 1943, AGED 16½ YEARS
Note the spelling mistake on the headstone.
1939 Register
The 1939 Register for 30, The Green, Lindal, has May Wicks (DoB 27 May 1902) Married, Unpaid Domestic Duties; Mary Wicks (DoB 10 November 1926) At School; Robert Wicks (DoB 10 July 1930) At School; (The next record is redacted), Peter Gledhill (DoB 10 July 1930) At School. At the same time, husband Henry William Wicks (DoB 6 April 1903) Fitter, Milking Machine, is living/staying in Wantage, Berks.
Henry William Wicks (26) Agricultural Student married May Dawson (26) No occupation recorded, at St Paul’s, Preston on 8 June 1929. Henry had an address is Higher Broughton, Manchester, and his father is George Frederick Wilks, Cashier. May is living in Preston, and her father is William Dawson, Farmer. Daughter Mary would be 2 at the time of this marriage.
1911 Census
In the 1911 Census the Dawson family is living at Next Ness, Ulverston. Father William Dawson at that time was a Limestone Quarryman, associated with the Blast Furnaces at the Iron and Steel Works.
The Lancashire Evening Post 29 June 1943 had news of an Ulverston inquest:
ULVERSTON DEEP POOL TRAGEDY: INQUEST STORY
“ACCIDENTALLY drowned” was the verdict at Ulverston, this afternoon, at the inquest on victims of Sunday’s triple drowning tragedy in the sea near Ulverston.
The victims were Mary Elizabeth Wicks (16) a clerk, of 30, The Green, Lindal; Agnes Dunn (12), a schoolgirl of 37, Cobden-street, Dalton, and Kenneth Marshall (16), labourer, of 9, London-road, Lindal.
EIGHT BATHING
Norman Thomas Burns (14), 4, London-road, Lindal, said he was bathing in the sea at 4.20 p.m. on Sunday about 150 yards on the Greenodd side of the Leven viaduct, together with the three who were drowned, and Thomas Atkinson Postlethwaite (15), 9, The Green, Dalton; Joyce Jordan (16), 7, Dalton-road, Lindal; Lewis Bradley (14), 11, Consett-street, Barrow; and Marion Smith (13), 33, Cobden-street, Dalton.
Mary Wicks, Joyce Jordan and himself were together about 18 yards from the shore.
Mary Wicks was chest deep when she either slipped or stepped into a very deep pool and grabbed hold of Joyce Jordan and himself. Mary and Joyce went under.RESCUE ATTEMPT
He could only swim a little, but managed to get as far as Marion Smith, a few yards away. They joined hands and tried without success to reach Mary and Joyce.
They shouted, and some men who came to their assistance, got Joyce out, but not the other girl.
Joyce Jordan (16), said she was wading out when Mary went under. The girl grabbed at and clung to her, and she too went down. She felt Mary release her hold, and then somebody pulled witness out.“HIGHLY DANGEROUS”
William Smith (18), clerk, 3, Low-mill, Ulverston, said he was swimming with Harry Kipling and Brian Casson when they heard a cry for help.
Harry Kipling, the strongest swimmer, reached a girl and held her by the hair until the others came up.
They made repeated efforts to reach the other two children. Police evidence was given that the place was highly dangerous for bathing. It was stated that there were holes varying in depth from seven to 12 feet.
