Life story retold by Yota Dimitriadi
Baby Staniford was the daughter of Alfred William STANIFORD, a fishmonger and poulterer, and his wife Ethel Dorothy. The family lived at 25, Weldale Street, Reading. She was born on Thursday 3 February 1927 and two days later she died suddenly from congenital influenza.
The inquest into her death by the Borough Coroner, Mr. J. L. Martini, found that the liver and lungs were congested and thought that the cause of death wan congenital influenza, probably contracted before birth from the mother. Mrs Staniford had been suffering with a very bad cold when the baby was born. Dr. F. W. Stansfield said that he was called to the child after ten o’clock on Saturday morning and found it dead. He was going to attend the mother that day for influenza. He could not certify and made a post-mortem examination.
During the inquest, a neighbour, Mary Ann Sharp of 18 Weldale Street, who had been helping Mrs. Staniford, stated that the mother had been suffering from influenza. The coroner returned a verdict of ‘Death from natural causes in accordance with the medical evidence’ and expressed his sympathy with the parents of child.
Baby Staniford was buried on 14 February at a common grave at the unconsecrated part of the cemetery. Her dad died in 1964 at the age of 76 and her mum in 1969 at the age of 67. They are buried at Henley Road Cemetery.
unmarked grave, unconsecrated part, exact location unknown at the moment.