Circumstances Leading to Death (Normally from War Diary)           

Pvt. Fennell enlisted on the 15th December 1914 in Warwick, Warwickshire. He served time in France, during which time he was gassed whilst fighting at the front. From the 9th August 1915 to 22nd January 1916, Pvt. Fennell was hospitalized at the King George Hospital, in London, he was suffering from Myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord). After his recovery Pvt. Fennell was no longer deemed fit for "active service," so he was transferred to the Labour Corps and put on "home service."

At 2.30p.m. on the 30th March 1918, whilst based in Devon, England, Pvt. Fennell was admitted to the Military Hospital, he was in a semi-conscious state and on being examined, it was determined that he was very ill indeed. By 5 o'clock that evening his health was failing but he managed to tell the doctor that he had had a drink the previous afternoon from a cask that had been washed ashore and had suffered terrible pains that night and was unable to sleep. Pvt. Fennell died an hour later at 6 o'clock.

During the postmortem the doctor found there to be no alcohol in Pvt. Fennell's stomach. Both lungs were found to be very congested as in the first stage of pneumonia, and he was also suffering from tuberculosis. Cause of death: Acute alcoholic poisoning, supervening on chronic pulmonary tuberculous.

It was also mentioned that another man who had taken a drink from the cask, died around the same time as Pvt. Fennell.