The tragedy
A few months after the above happy day, drill instructor Edward Baldwin went to the Armoury and found a shocking scene. In the Armoury room itself, he discovered the prone figure of his predecessor, Sergeant John Mentor, with a loaded rifle between his knees and the end at his mouth. John had attached string to the trigger to enable himself to pull it easily. Horrified, Baldwin sprang forward and snatched the rifle away. He stopped to "admonish" John and remove the cartridge from the gun. While he did this, John ran out and was seen going towards his home a short distance away at The Limes, Glade Rd. Baldwin allowed him to go and went to fetch a policeman. Poor John arrived home and hid a letter to his wife. A short while later she saw him taking out some table knives which he told her he was going to clean. She told him they had been done, and thought he then returned them all to their case. Tragically he had not, and instead secreted a sharp pointed knife before leaving the house. He walked to the train station and was then seen walking alongside the train line towards Bourne End. Some plate layers working on the line spoke to him and he said he was going to catch a train at Bourne End. They alerted two policeman who had been sent to find Mentor. The Constables came across him standing quietly by the rail line, looking to their eyes as if he was waiting the chance to throw himself under a train. When John saw them approach, he ran towards the river. Faced with their gaining on him, he suddenly stopped, turned, and stabbed himself in the heart, dying instantly.
What had bought on this terrible and "determined suicide"? John had been suffering from depression since loosing his job as Instructor for the Volunteer's 15 months before, a position he had held for about 10 years. He had came to the end of the period for which he had been engaged but had expected to be re -hired again as had happened before. Sadly those in charge decided not to recommend him for consideration. He took this understandably to heart, and regarded it as a dismissal. He said at the time that he'd been given no reason and did not ask for one. His comrades were said to be astonished when he left his role, and organised a farewell dinner in his honour. At this he was presented with a silver tea service which had been paid for by voluntary subscriptions by members of the volunteers past and present. His speech then seemed relatively philosophical and restrained although he acknowledged he had been much upset and felt justified in this reaction. He assured his listeners that he had made an "arrangement" with those in charge and he could now say that it was to his "advantage" to leave as he had done. He also admitted to some breaches of military discipline but said they had never prevented him doing his job.
However it was later suggested that concerns had been raised about his mental health a long time prior to his departure. His successor thought he was a little "insane" and others agreed he had taken to a rambling style of speech. His wife said he had sometimes drunk a little too much in the company of the Corps but she was firm in her statements that her husband had drank only moderately in the previous year. John had became bitter and sent long and abusive letters to those in charge of the Corps who he blamed for the loss of his role. These were read to the inquest behind closed doors along with a letter left on his body. Verdict - suicide while suffering from temporary insanity.
A short while after John's tragic end, a group of non commissioned officers and privates of the Volunteers held a meeting at the Greyhound. They decided to ask Mrs Mentor if she would allow them to erect the gravestone in his honour, at their expense. It's easy to imagine what a gesture like this might have meant to the widow. She replied that she would be glad of their kind mark of respect. Their stone is shown below. It can be found at All Saints Church.
John Mentor
Born 2 Jan 1840 Died Nov 1896
Information on grave itself:
Colour Sergt (2nd) Batt 4th regiment. Ten years sergeant instructor 1879-1889 to Marlow Company of 1st Bucks R.V.C who erected the stone.
Also of Eliza his wife, died Jul 31st 1910 age 62 years (Lily)
Notes.
John is also described as a former "orderly room sergeant". He was the secretary of the St. John's Ambulance association in Marlow.
Wife Lily continued as a lodging house keeper at The Oaks, Institute Rd which was just three doors away from the Armoury.
The Armoury was later used as the Recruiting Committee Office in the First World War, open each evening 6-9pm.
Related Posts:
Info about the neighbouring Institute (now Marlow library) here
Biography of Drill Instructor Columbine here
The Volunteer camps in Marlow and at Danesfield in the 1860s here
Other residents of The Limes - here
To find other posts about everyday life in old Marlow see the list here. To find every mention of your ancestor here, use the A-Z Person Index in the top drop down menu.
Researched and written by Kathryn Day.
©MarlowAncestors
Selected sources:
South Bucks Standard - 18 September & 28 November 1890, copies from the British Library and accessed via the BNA
Bucks Herald 20 November , 6 & 27 December 1890, as above.
Maidenhead Advertiser 24 September & October 9th 1890, as above
Reading Observer 29 November 1890, as above
Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News - 29 November 1890
Bucks Examiner 3 December 1890 as above
Berkshire Chronicle 3rd December 1859, 29 November 1890, as above.
Aldershot Military Gazette - 15 November 1890 - as above
Slough Eton and Windsor Observer, Slough reference library. December 6 1890.
Census 1881,1891 - transcripts by Charlotte Day and Jane Pullinger.
