William Pegram

William Pegram was knocked down by a car.

He died almost immediately.

He had been crossing the London Road near the entrance to Crowlands Avenue when he was knocked down. The car was seen to stop momentarily but before pedestrians could reach it the car drove off towards Ilford and all trace of it was lost.

A nurse said that she had been walking along the London Road at about 9.45pm when she came to the junction of Crowlands Avenue where she stopped to cross. She said that she then heard someone walking behind her on the path about four yards behind her and that as she saw no vehicles she started to cross the road. She said then that she heard a scream and then looked up to see William Pegram lying in the road behind a car that was pulling up. She said that there were three people in the car, the driver, a woman who was sat by his side and another woman in the dickey seat. She said that it had been a brownish-coloured two-seater car. She said that she heard the woman in the dickey seat say to the driver 'Don't get out, get away with it. She is so awfully nervous'. She said that the woman was presumably referring to the other woman in the passenger seat. The nurse said that she could swear that the motorists were Jews.

The doctor said that William Pegram was dead when he was admitted to Oldchurch Hospital and that he had several fractured ribs and that his left lung was punctured. He said that death was due to shock from the injuries received.

The police said that efforts were made to trace the driver and occupants of the car without success and that appeals had been made through the press and by means of wireless.

The Coroner said that he thought the jury would agree that it was the most callous and inhuman conduct.

William Pegram was last seen in the Crown pub by a bricklayer on the Easter Monday. The bricklayer said that William Pegram left first and that he saw no more of him until he was sent for and went to the London Road where he saw him lying on a path. The bricklayer said that William Pegram had been quite sober when he had left the hotel and that he had been at work all day.

An open verdict was returned.

William Pegram had lived on Jutsums Lane in Romford and was a contractor's carman.