Thomas Saban

Thomas Saban died from a gunshot received on his allotment at Spion Kop.

He kept a gun on his allotment and on the 9 August 1923, a Thursday, he staggered from his allotment to a nearby coffee stall in Higham Hill Road, with a wound to his face and cried out Oh, missus, what shall I do', and then collapsed. He was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital but died later that evening.

Back at his allotment a double barrelled gun was found near his hat. The right barrel of the gun was unloaded whilst the right barrel had recently been fired. The trigger had been depressed but there was no trace of a firing cap.

It was thought that the gun might have gone off after becoming heated by the sun during which spontaneous combustion might have occurred, causing the gun shot.

There was no evidence to show that he had committed suicide. A doctor said that the wound could not have been self-inflicted.

As well as the gun, food was also found on the ground.

He was last seen when he had gone out on the Wednesday and was not heard of again until he arrived at the coffee stall injured the following morning.

The post-mortem stated that the wound to his face had gone backwards in an upward direction involving the whole side of his face and scalp. His lower jaw was shattered and a portion of his upper jaw and cheek was blown away.

Thomas Saban had been a general labourer and had lived on Carlton Road in Walthamstow.