Skegness Magazine

Skegness Woman’s Ghastly Ordeal

A 53-year-old woman was found with her head trapped in a burning fire grate at her flat in Sea View Mansions, Skegness, in 1926.

The victim was Mrs Minnie Messom who had resided in room 8 of the flats, which constituted the old Sea View Hotel on North Parade, Skegness, for about five years.
She lived alone but had a night companion, Miss Maggie Cheseldine, a local young lady who was employed by Messers G J Crofts, as she feared being alone during the night.
As became normal, Miss Chesledine entered Mrs Messom’s room on the Thursday night and was horrified to find the woman lying across the hearth with her head trapped beneath an iron plate which encloses the fire grate. A fire was still burning in the grate.
Miss Chesledine said the victim’s head was held fast down in the firegrate by a part of the grate which had fallen down. This portion of the grate consisted of an iron plate which was lowered for the purpose of “drawing” the fire when necessary.

Miss Chesledine screamed and immediately rushed to the next flat, number 9, to summon help. Mr Tomlinson, the occupant,  rushed to the scene and at once released Mrs Messom, who was still alive but in a dazed condition, suffering from severe burns to her head and face.

Dr Stanley Wallace attended the victim, observing at once that she was in a serious condition. He ordered her removal to the Skegness Cottage Hospital, despite the victim’s pleas to be attended to in her own home.
The victim died in hospital a few hours later.

Though she was conscious throughout her last hours, Mrs Messom seemed unwilling to divulge how the accident happened, so it was left to the court to presume she suffered a dizzy spell owing to a chonic heart condition, which caused her to accidently fall as she was making some adjustment to the fire grate.