Lightning Strikes
– The Tragic Death of Harold Gilding.
On October
18, 1898, 15-year-old Harold Gilding of West Mardon was in his parents’ garden
when a thunderstorm rolled through. Harold was speaking to his mother, who
stood just a few yards away when a flash of lightning appeared, which struck
Harold to the ground.
The bolt tore Harold's clothing from his
body and burnt him from head to foot. It was reported that the lightning
entered through his forehead, passed around inside his head, burned all his
hair off, and then exited through his foot, singeing his boots.[1]
His boots were blown off his body and found some distance away.[2]
Despite being knocked down due to the
blast, his mother received no injuries, other than the shock of her son being
burned alive in front of her. Harold’s nine-year-old brother, Benjamin, who was
also outside picking peas at the time of the lightning strike received
scratches on his face from the soil and stones which the lightning raised into
the air and catapulted in his direction.
Dr Borthwick was called to assess and
expressed his opinion that the electricity had passed through the boy killing
him instantaneously. No inquest was held. [3]
Researched
and written by Allen Tiller © 2025
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