“Then I Shall Die Too!”

Wednesday 3rd December 1913

“Then I Shall Die Too!”

Hubert Liston Willcox, the third son of Dr. Robert Lewis Willcox, was born on 29th December 1876. His early  schooling was at Lord Weymouth’s Grammar School, Warminster, and at Cheltenham College, where he was a member of the Cadet Corps. He received his medical education at King’s College Hospital, London, and passed his examinations with distinction. He practised with his father at Warminster from 1902 onwards, first as an assistant and later as a partner. Father and son were both based at Portway, Warminster, to begin with but from c.1907 Hubert practised at Eversfield in the Market Place.

A popular figure in Warminster, he was often referred to as “Doctor Bert,” and he took part in several activities about the town. He was President of the Warminster Bowling Club for some years, playing on the green whenever he could; and he served as lieutenant under Captain Wakeman for five or six years in the old F Company (Warminster) 1st Wilts Rifle Volunteers Corps. An ardent churchman, Hubert attended many church functions and often accompanied his father on public engagements.

Hubert married Miss Alice Mary Le Rossignol on 9th June 1910 at the Parish Church of St. Denys’, the Minster. She was the third daughter of Francois Charles Le Rossignol of St. Brelade’s, Jersey. Alice once held the position of matron-nurse at Warminster Cottage Hospital.

Hubert Willcox suffered from indifferent health for some time and removed to Bournemouth for a few months before returning to Warminster in early summer 1913. He resumed his practice and appeared to be progressing but fate took a tragic turn. On 5th November 1913 Hubert and his father were called in by Dr. Parsons of  Westbury to assist with an operation at Westbury on a female patient with septic peritonitis.

The operation took place at midnight but unfortunately for Hubert he accidentally scratched the index finger of his right hand with the cutting edge of a surgical needle. Within hours his finger became swollen and started throbbing, the inflammation spread up his arm, causing a blotchy red rash, and moved to his chest, poisoning the glands in his lungs. His temperature rose to 105.

Hubert’s father called in specialists to  attend to him,  including Dr. Swain of Clifton, in consultation with Dr. Symes of Clifton; Dr. Burghard of King’s College Hospital, London; and Dr. Hogan of Warminster. After two operations, performed on Thursday 13th November and Tuesday 25th November, Hubert seemed as if he would recover but dangerous symptoms became apparent. The  inhabitants of Warminster were kept regularly informed of his condition with weekly bulletins in the Warminster & Westbury Journal.

Bedridden at Town Hall Hill (High Street), Warminster, Hubert asked what had become of the patient at Westbury. His father told him that the woman had passed away. Hubert replied “Then I shall die too!” His prophecy came true. Hubert died at eight o’clock on the  morning of Wednesday 3rd December 1913. He was only 36. At the  subsequent inquest the Coroner recorded a verdict of “death by blood poisoning.”

Hubert Willcox’s funeral was held at the Parish Church of St. Denys’, the Minster, Warminster, at 2.45 p.m. on Saturday 6th December 1913. His body was laid to rest in a grave near the east end of the church, not far from the churchyard entrance. His grave adjoins that of his infant sister, Hilda, who died of whooping cough on 20th February 1874, aged two months.

Hubert’s widow, Alice, died on 23rd June 1964, aged 83, and is interred in her husband’s grave at St. Denys’.