Taken aback & need a point in right direction please

Jockbird · Post by **Jockbird** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:36 pm

Thanks Mary,

Sound advice and it's what made him do it that is the sad part. I'm so used to all my family dying of heart disease on that side that I was quite blase when opening the document thinking it was going to be another cardiac condition!

One of the pitfalls and I'll rack this one up to experience. I don't think I'll delve any deeper than checking the RCE, as & when. I'll let him rest in peace.

Best wishes
Donna
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LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:12 pm

Hi all
I found a suicide in my lot a while back - "death by strangulation, suicide". He was quite distant really (1st cousin 4 times removed) but the effect it had definately caught me by surprise. I found it quite upsetting and I just wondered why - why had it come to this? He was in his seventies, so it was no "life cut short" scenario, but it certainly stopped me in my tracks.

Best wishes
Lesley

Jockbird · Post by **Jockbird** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:22 am

Hello Lesley,

Like you, my relative had had a long life, 69 years and something has made them decide on that course of action. Poor souls.

Best wishes
Donna
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ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:56 am

I too have a suicide of my gg grandmother who hung herself at the age of 78. I cannot begin to understand why someone of such a good age would decide that they'd had enough...I do know a lot about this family, and her son was going through some lengthy court proceedings in the same year as her death, and I wonder if that had an effect on her. But we will never know.

Nina

David Lang · Post by **David Lang** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:43 am

My great Grandfather committed suicide by cutting his throat in the back garden , aged 52 it was down to a genetic disorder of the muscles in his back and he couldnt work.

On my other side my great grandfather drowned in a canal , dont know if it was an accident or murder yet!!!

Anyone want some lucky white heather???

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:06 am

Hi Folks

Just to look clinically at the whys and wherefors. Depression in the elderly is not uncommon for a variety of reasons , some physical, some psychological and back then they had 100 times more reason to become depressed compared to our situation now.

We have -A National Health Service ie free care
State Pensions ie a minimum standard of income
a recognised Retiral age

In their day they worked till they dropped unless they had managed to save something for their old age. What did they do when that money was used up?
People living in the town could not depend on sons & daughters to support them. They had their own families to care for and were often on the borderline for income themselves. Different for farm folk but even that was changing.

As the physical infirmity of ageing progressed they had even less to offer looking after the grandchildren and piece work from the mills needed good eyesight.

Am I glad that in my old age I can sit at the computer and surf the Net, attend the keep fit classes for the elderly, use my free bus pass, phone the Dial-a-bus to pick me up at the door to go to the local day care centre.

And still some people get depressed

Russell

Jockbird · Post by **Jockbird** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:27 am

Oh David, I do sympathise with you as it's the wife of this chap who lost her dad in a shipping accident in the Clyde and he drowned when she was 4......add black cats & horseshoes to that white heather

I was beginning to wonder if he took his actions due to failing health. He'd retired from Ardeer (I believe) where he'd been an explosives worker and he had at least one daughter & grandson plus his wife living with him. Like you say Russell we've now got the NHS, back in 1946 I believe it was just as the act of Parliament was going through to form the NHS, perhaps, having to pay for medical attendance or such just wasn't an option.

I suppose I shall never know why but I just hope that those around him at the time understood.

Anyway Russell, you missed sampling your fine selection of Malts of your list!

Best wishes
Donna

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Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:37 pm

Hi Donna, you mentioned,

"... beginning to wonder if he took his actions due to failing health.
He'd retired from Ardeer (I believe) where he'd been an explosives worker..."

My direct Milne ancestors were from the Stevenston area - and quite a few rellies also worked at Ardeer.
I'm sure i've read somewhere that many explosives workers got a "high" from the chemicals used,
but any extended time away from the factory (eg holiday) slowly caused some form of depression or agitation,
which was only "cured" after returning to work.

This may be wrong - but if not, then retiring would mean he couldn't now get, for want of better phraseology, his "fix".
Jack

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:39 pm

Jockbird wrote:Hello All,

Many thanks for your replies.

If I knew there was going to be more info for definite I'd pay the £10 but I think I'll hang fire and perhaps see if the local paper had any more info.

I'm still a bit unnerved by it, it's my first suicide.

Best wishes
Donna
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Hi Donna

Some time soon, - before the year end, or into 2007?, - I don't know, - the RCE images will come on line at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk , and it looks like (see the minutes of the User Group Meeting on 14th September, at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/conte ... ?r=551&973, - except don't all rush there just yet, as the minutes of this, the 11th Meeting have yet to be posted ) it will cost 2 credits to view a linked RCE, so a bit better value than having to spend £10 (equivalent to 50 credits

) for an extract just to see the RCE details.

See also my PM.

David

Jockbird · Post by **Jockbird** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 2:40 pm

Hello Jack,

Good to hear from you.

Well there's a thought......

perhaps even just the fact he was retired full stop could've done it but it's interesting, especially as he's not my only Ardeer worker....mind, it seems like half of Stevenston were down the mine & the other half at Ardeer when I look at my tree from there.

Then again I've just found a likely candidate for his dad in 1891 and he's in an asylum, perhaps it's in the genes.

Thanks for the update David re online RCEs, yes 2 credits as opposed to 50 is a lot more palatable. Good job you don't get too many of them in the research.

Best wishes
Donna

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