cause of death of a lighterman

[nairobi]

My uncle  Henry James Blakeney, died in Feb 1924. According to death cert cause was acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis.which is either caused by sudden violent trauma or over indulgence in alcohol. He was a Thames lighterman and his death required a post mortem. As lightermen had to be 'on the ball' regarding tides and currents etc I should think he could hardly do this job properly if he was  a drunk.All my attempts to discover the cause of death have failed. There are no coroner's records ( all destroyed after 30 years), the records of the hospital in which he died don't start until 3 months after his death. The admissions and discharge book of St George-in-the -east infrmary show he was admitted  and died on the same day but no cause of death given. Can anyone think of any other way I can find out about his death?

[CaroleW]

If his death was caused by "sudden violent trauma" there would probably have been an inquest as it suggests an unnatural death

A person doesn't have to be "a drunk" to over indulge in alcohol.

He may have been sober during the time he was working (as many people are) and then hit the bottle each night.

Regular use of alcohol in that way back then had exactly the same effect on the liver as that kind of habit would have today

Think about the number of men who regularly drink after work each night but turn up for work sober the next day.

[casalguidi]

If there was a coroner's inquest you could see if there was any report in the local newspaper - these were often much more informative than the actual reports anyway.  Also, it may well be worth looking for an obituary in case anything is mentioned there.

Casalguidi

[CaroleW]

My uncle  Henry James Blakeney, died in Feb 1924

Where did he die as there is no death registration on freebmd for that name in 1924.  There is one in London in 1925 aged 39

[Plummiegirl]

My great grandfather was a riverman/bargee and I can assure you that the pubs along the river would have been full of river workers.  As said before they may have been  'sober' for work but after would be another story.

And my gt grandfather enjoyed a drink or two!!!!

[nairobi]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Yes his death was in 1925, ( his marriage was 1924 so I got mixed up) Have searched East London newspapers and believe it or not the only two weeks  missing are those following his death, when a coroner's report would probably have been written.
(librarian said theywere missing because of fire or wardamage). So it seems if I shall have to stay at this brick wall with little hope of getting through it.

Best wishes
Nairobi