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'R.D.' = Rural District: Except that East Kirkby was in Spilsby Rural District at this time and there's never been an East Kirkby Rural District. I wonder whether the person filling in the certificate just missed out the word 'Spilsby'? Either that, or the 'R.D.' stands for something else.

I don't know what the 'R.D.' stands for. It won't be 'registration district', as East Kirkby was in Spilsby registration district at this time and was never important enough to have its own registration district. Although it looks like 'R.D.', I wonder whether it could perhaps be 'A.D.' for 'aerodrome'? That's a long shot – but it's the only thing I can think of.

According to the Lincolnshire Standard article referred to by softly softly, the details of the incident are as follows:

* At the time the deceased (Mr O) was employed by a firm of contractors preparing the floor for a transformer station at the aerodrome (RAF East Kirkby).
* [RAF East Kirkby had opened at the beginning of WWII, but as a decoy site. During 1942-43 it was upgraded to a Class A standard operational airfield with concrete runways, perimeter tracks, hangars, hardstandings etc. It could be that Mr O was involved in upgrading the station's electricity supply as part of this work. The main contractors for the construction work – laying of runways etc – were John Laing & Son Ltd, but I don't know whether they, or another company, were involved in the work on its transformer station].
* The accident involving Mr O occurred because of a misunderstanding between his foreman and a Ministry official. The Ministry official had told the foreman that the power to the transformer station would be switched off "between 10am and 4pm" to allow the men to work inside it. The foreman took that to mean "between 10am and 4pm each day for the rest of the week". He passed this on to Mr O, telling him that the power would be switched off between those hours each day for the rest of the week.
* In fact the official had meant only that the power was to be switched off between those hours on the Monday.
* The following day (Tuesday) Mr O ignored a warning notice saying 'Danger, 3,000 volts' and touched a cable inside the transformer station, thinking the power had been turned off, when in fact it was on.
* Because the foreman had told him the current would be off, Mr O was wearing hobnail boots rather than rubber boots and rubber gloves.
* Two of his colleagues told the inquest, held on 18th Nov at Spilsby, that Mr O touched the cable, gave a "terrible shout," and immediately fell over. They managed to drag him away by his shoulders, but according to the Standard, Mr O "received the full current and was at once killed."

Verdict: Accidental death.

I hope this helps.

I grew up in Old Bolingbroke and for the past eight months have been researching people and buildings in the village between the late 1700s and 1970s.

A Christopher Maltby was indeed living in the village, from at least 1865 and possibly before, until 1889, when he died. He was a farmer and cattle jobber as well as being a churchwarden at Old Bolingbroke Church. One of his responsibilities was to collect church rates from locals. He took several people from the village to court (usually Spilsby magistrates) for non-payment of church rates.

In June 1852 he married Olive Brothwell (born in Bardney) at Spilsby. He's variously listed as living at 'Old Bolingbroke Hall' and 'High Farm' and possibly lived at both, in that order.

Old Bolingbroke Hall: There have been at least three halls at Old Bolingbroke and people have used the name 'OBH' for all three of them at various times, but Christopher Maltby probably lived at this one (see map: https://fixmystreet.lincolnshire.gov.uk/report/new?longitude=0.021936&latitude=53.163687). In 1874 he placed a notice in local newspapers offering the hall to let, so may have moved out of it by this time.

'High Farm': I’ve not heard of a 'High Farm' in Old Bolingbroke – but it could be an alternative name for, or a mistake for, 'Highfield Farm' (occasionally written 'High Field Farm'). It's on the road between Spilsby Hill, Old Bolingbroke and Mavis Enderby (see map: https://fixmystreet.lincolnshire.gov.uk/report/new?longitude=0.027365&latitude=53.171059), so this would fit the address 'Spilsby Road' that Olive Maltby was living at in 1891. This farm has been marked as Highfield Farm on OS maps since at least the end of the 1800s.

I suspect your photograph is actually of the south (front) face of Highfield Farm. This farm now has a campsite. Why not go there and see whether it's the same building?

Christopher and Olive Maltby had a son, Thomas ('Tom') Maltby. In 1917 he married Miss Kate Hardy, also of Old Bolingbroke, who became Mrs Kate Maltby.

There was also a young James Maltby living in Old Bolingbroke at this time, who may also have been a son/other relative of Christopher and Olive Maltby. On 19th July 1889 he placed a notice in the Situations Wanted column of various local newspapers: "TO BUTCHERS — Situation wanted by a respectable young man; 5 years' exp.; good slaughterman; refs. — James Maltby, Old Bolingbroke, Spilsby."

Christopher and Olive Maltby also had at least two daughters. I don't yet know the name of the first, but the second was called Alice Maltby. She became Mrs Alice Spreckley on 30th Oct 1883 after marrying an Edward Spreckley. Alice died "suddenly" on 27th Aug 1896, aged 38, so would have been born in 1858 or 1859.

Christopher and Olive had at least two servants. In 1864, Christopher Maltby shot two dogs which were trespassing on his land and, he claimed, worrying his sheep. The dogs' owner took him to Spilsby court and Maltby was forced to pay the owner £3 for the loss of his dogs, plus costs.

Christopher Maltby died on 16th April 1889. The Horncastle News of 20th April 1889 reported: ""SUDDEN DEATHS — On Tuesday [=16th Apl 1889] Christopher Maltby, cattle jobber of Old Bolingbroke, expired whilst about his morning duties."

On 10th Feb 1890, Mr R Mackinder, auctioneer of Spilsby, held an auction at Thorpe St Peter of "the late Mr C Maltby's land". This was followed on 4th March 1890 by a sale at Old Bolingbroke of "the late Mr C Maltby's "Sheep, Beasts, Horses and Implements."

There was still at least one member of the Maltby family living in Old Bolingbroke in 1909, as on 22nd Nov 1909 a servant girl was harassed by two youths from Mavis Enderby as she came out of Old Bolingbroke Chapel. She responded by threatening to "tell Mr Maltby" [her employer] if they didn't leave her alone.

I hope the above helps.