HC Deb 24 November 1948 vol 458 cc113-5W
76. Mr. Tiffany

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if, as a result of his inquiries, he can now make any statement to the death of 2nd Class Boy Gordon Lindsey.

Mr. Dugdale

Yes. As hon. Members will appreciate, it is of the utmost importance that officers and men of the Royal Navy should be able to swim, and the regulations provide that all boys entered in training establishments are to pass the prescribed swimming tests as soon as possible. There are two of these tests:

  1. (a) a provisional test carried out in a swimming bath;
  2. (b) the standard test carried out in the open sea.

In order to pass the boy has to swim 40 yards in a duck suit in deep water, after which he must be able to keep himself afloat by whatever means he chooses for three minutes. No boy is rated "Boy 1st Class" until he has passed both these tests.

Lindsey had joined H.M.S. "Ganges" five weeks before the end of the Summer term. Although he had shown some reluctance to undertake swimming instruction, he had been treated sympathetically and had made fair progress though without succeeding in passing his test. He had never shown any resentfulness of instruction or physical nervousness. By 8th October he was already well able to swim and this needs to be borne in mind in considering the degree of compulsion that was used to get him into the swimming bath. Despite his progress, Lindsey had apparently retained his reluctance to enter the water and on the day of his death he had to be escorted to the baths. On this occasion, as on former occasions, he was sympathetically treated. On the evening of 8th October, Lindsey first entered the water at about ten minutes to six and swam some 60 yards under the supervision of the physical trainer. He then took off the duck suit in which the test has to be performed and came out, being apparently unwilling to complete his test by remaining afloat in the water for three minutes. After ten minutes rest and putting on a dry suit he entered the water again and swam fifteen yards. He then came out and said he was tired.

Later, in the presence of his divisional officer, he tried again, but after swimming some distance he once more refused to stay in the water for the extra three minutes. Before entering the water again he was given an inflatable life-belt, with which he swam from the deep end, until he could touch the bottom. He was then told to swim back to the deep end, and this was to finish the instruction for that day. During this last length he was accompanied in the water by four boys of the life saving class to give him confidence and the physical trainer walked alongside the bath. During this return swim Lindsey was seen to be in difficulty and the four boys brought him to the side in a matter of seconds. It was immediately realised that the boy's condition was serious. Artificial respiration was commenced and the duty medical officer arrived within a few minutes, but I deeply regret to say that Lindsey did not recover.

At the Coroner's inquest a verdict of death by misadventure was recorded and it was found that death was due to syncope as a result of water entering the air passages of the larynx, trachea and bronchi. I understand that this form of drowning is very rare, and that the fact that this boy had a predisposition to it could not have been detected in advance. The Coroner expressed the view that there was no evidence of any ill-treatment but that on the contrary a good deal of trouble seemed to have been taken to teach the boy to swim. After full consideration of all the reports, my noble Friend sees no reason to dissent from this view, but he is inquiring further into the reasons for expecting the boy to pass the swimming test within such a comparatively short time. He has also decided that in exceptional cases of this kind the advice of a psychiatrist is to be obtained and that consideration shall be given to discharge from the Service should circumstances warrant this course.