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Harold & Mabel Alers Hankey
Fourth son of Jameson Alers Hankey, Harold was born in 1871 at Widmore, Bromley. In 1881 he and his brother Gerald were at a preparatory school in Leamington Priors. He was married in 1927, at the age of 56, to Mabel Grace Wood, a lady of ample means. He had known her as a girl, but she refused to marry him while her parents were alive; the marriage was not happy, and there were no children. They lived at Lisheen, St Anthony’s Road, Bournemouth. ‘We visited Aunt Mabel in Bournemouth, who was a rather large and not very attractive woman of great means. Many servants. Judy Coppola
On 3 May 1935 Harold took the ferry Maid of Orleans from Folkestone to Boulogne.
‘About half way across the Channel he was seen to fall into the sea, and although he was quickly rescued by a boat he died soon after reaching Boulogne. Mr Hankey had been staying at the Clifton Hotel, Folkestone, and he only booked his passage on the Maid of Orleans - he travelled first class - a few hours before the boat sailed. Artificial respiration was tried for one and a half hours after he had been taken back on board the steamer, which made for Boulogne at top speed. At the French port oxygen was administered to the man, but he died on the way to hospital. From the inquiry opened by the French police it appears that Mr Hankey resides at ‘Lisreel’, St Anthony’s Road, Bournemouth. An official at the Clifton Hotel said in an interview: ‘Mr Hankey arrived here about a week ago and we understood his wife was to join him later. Last year they stayed here for some time. I understand Mr Hankey was just having a brief trip over the Channel and did not intend to stay for any length of time. He often made these trips last year.