Roger
I Liked Ike
- May 11, 2019
- 972
I have been reflecting on the number of people that I have known, personally, who have killed themselves in the course of my life. Some were friends, others just work colleagues. I may have forgotten a few.
The earliest that I remember would have been about 1960. A married couple, friends and neighbours of my parents, both gassed themselves together. (In those days, coal gas was the domestic supply, and many people died just by sticking their heads in an unlit oven). I was a bit young to know exactly why, but I recall my mother opening the letter which had been sent to inform us, and handing it to me in shock.
The next one was the father of a school friend, about 1961/2. Marital troubles, gassed in car, hosepipe on exhaust.
The next I remember was the wife of an army colleague. This would have been about 1973. She had seemed a bit of a neurotic nuisance to an unsympathetic group, she couldn't handle the frequent separations from her husband. Some early attempts were mocked, but she did it in the end.
Then in 1977, another army colleague - quite a good friend. This one remains a bit of a mystery, and suicide was not declared, but the suspicion remained as we knew he had struggled (and beaten) alcoholism, and was having marital difficulties. He died when his parachute failed to deploy, and he did not pull his reserve. This was not military parachuting (where you don't pack your own chutes) but sport skydiving, where you do, if you are authorised. He had put some extra knots in supposedly breakable ties. Whether this was deliberate or some sort of mental blip could never be known.
About 1980 another colleague (marital difficulties) did the car in garage method.
In the 80's and 90's I knew of another two, not very close. One was a pistol shot to the head whilst on the telephone to his wife, the other (method I cannot recall) was money difficulties after life savings were embezzled.
In the new century I was marginally involved with winding up some affairs of several people that I did not know personally who had shot themselves. Old age bereavement was one reason. However, I had four colleagues during this period who did the deed, one by train, and the other three by gunshot (one of whom murdered his partner first.) Three of these used shotguns, the other a stalking rifle. In all cases the guns used were lawfully possessed.
Sombre thoughts indeed.
The earliest that I remember would have been about 1960. A married couple, friends and neighbours of my parents, both gassed themselves together. (In those days, coal gas was the domestic supply, and many people died just by sticking their heads in an unlit oven). I was a bit young to know exactly why, but I recall my mother opening the letter which had been sent to inform us, and handing it to me in shock.
The next one was the father of a school friend, about 1961/2. Marital troubles, gassed in car, hosepipe on exhaust.
The next I remember was the wife of an army colleague. This would have been about 1973. She had seemed a bit of a neurotic nuisance to an unsympathetic group, she couldn't handle the frequent separations from her husband. Some early attempts were mocked, but she did it in the end.
Then in 1977, another army colleague - quite a good friend. This one remains a bit of a mystery, and suicide was not declared, but the suspicion remained as we knew he had struggled (and beaten) alcoholism, and was having marital difficulties. He died when his parachute failed to deploy, and he did not pull his reserve. This was not military parachuting (where you don't pack your own chutes) but sport skydiving, where you do, if you are authorised. He had put some extra knots in supposedly breakable ties. Whether this was deliberate or some sort of mental blip could never be known.
About 1980 another colleague (marital difficulties) did the car in garage method.
In the 80's and 90's I knew of another two, not very close. One was a pistol shot to the head whilst on the telephone to his wife, the other (method I cannot recall) was money difficulties after life savings were embezzled.
In the new century I was marginally involved with winding up some affairs of several people that I did not know personally who had shot themselves. Old age bereavement was one reason. However, I had four colleagues during this period who did the deed, one by train, and the other three by gunshot (one of whom murdered his partner first.) Three of these used shotguns, the other a stalking rifle. In all cases the guns used were lawfully possessed.
Sombre thoughts indeed.
