Farley Pond in 1976

Boys raiding horse chestnut trees in Stockwood Park for conkers on the evening of Friday, September 29th, 1916, made a gruesome discovery in Farley Green Pond - often spoken of, said the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph the following day, as the 'Suicide's Pond'.

There floating in the water was the body of a man dressed in an overcoat. Most of the boys ran upon making the discovery, but one eight-year-old named Harold Walter Janes, of Wellington Street, raised a cry for help. A pedestrian in turn attracted the attention of a passing motorist, who drove to Luton Police Station. Inspectors Hagley and Janes and Pc Parsons arrived and used a rope to lasso the body and drag it to the bank.

The deceased was identified as 46-year-old Pte Frank Spacey, a married soldier who had lived apart from his wife for about seven years. He was known to the military authorities as Pte F. Mitchell, 19735, of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, and he had a sister, Mrs Butterfield, living at 54 Arthur Street, Luton.

The Telegraph said Spacey was well known in the town, and since his enlistment he had been before the magistrates as an absentee, and was that week again "wanted" under the same circumstances. The newspaper conjectured that he had committed suicide, possibly to avoid arrest.

The builder's labourer first enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment early in 1915 and was stationed at Halton Camp. From there he deserted, and on being arrested it was found that he had joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment in the name of Frank Mitchell.

When arrested on the charge of desertion from the Bedfordshire Regiment, he was given his liberty on the understanding that he volunteered for active service abroad. He did as promised and was wounded in the leg in France. After recovering at a Liverpool Military Hospital, he came home on ten days' leave and should have reported again at Portsmouth on the Monday before his death. Relatives and friends had not seen him for about a week.

At an inquest at Luton Police Court on Monday, October 2nd, 1916, a jury recorded a unanimous verdict that Spacey had committed suicide whilst of unsound mind and they had no doubt that his act was the result of shell shock and the loss of his son [Pte Bert Spacey, Beds Regiment, in November 1914].

The Luton News [October 5th, 1916] reported that Police Insp Janes told the inquest that there were no signs of any struggle at the side of the pond, nor were there any marks of the deceased having attempted to get out of the water, which was said to be about 16ft deep. Round the deceased's neck was his identification disc with the name F. Mitchell.

Spacey's aunt, Mrs Poole, of 100 Albert Road, Luton, said he had made his home at her house but did not sleep there every night. On Friday, September 22nd, they had supper together, but all the time he seemed worried about a son who had been killed and another who had joined up. She last saw him that Friday night, but she never heard him threaten to commit suicide.

Annie Hopkins, wife of Edward Hopkins, a lodging house keeper at 46 New Town Street, said the deceased had lived there on and off for two years. She last saw Spacey on Wednesday 27th when he was wandering around the house and yard and then said goodbye and that he would not be seeing them again.

At 11.30 on the morning of Friday the 29th a man in uniform called on Mrs Annie Whitmore, of Farley Green Cottages, and asked for a glass of water. He said he had been in hospital, drank the water and went away.

The Coroner said there was no doubt the deceased threw himself into the pond, and, with regard to the state of his mind, there was very little doubt that he was not responsible for his actions. He had worried about the son killed and the other son who had been called up, and he had himself been out serving and been sent to a hospital suffering from shell shock.

Frank Sharp Spacey was later buried in the Luton Church Cemetery, Crawley Green Road. He is not included on the Luton Roll of Honour.