The girl and the neighbourhood
Contemporary newspaper reports identify Alice Ann Widdowson as a fourteen-year-old girl from Constable Street. Her body was found on the night of Sunday 1 March 1942 in a disused garage. Reports describe the location as an alley off Boynton Street, and as between Boulevard and Constable Street. [source]
The investigation in the papers
Early Hull Daily Mail coverage describes a search for an assailant. Reports of 13 and 16 March refer to laboratory examinations at Wakefield while arrangements for the inquest were being made. Those investigation reports are distinct from the eventual inquest finding. [source]
The inquest and the unresolved court outcome
The Hull Daily Mail of 26 March 1942 records an inquiry by the Hull City Coroner, Dr Norman Jennings. The following day's front-page report describes a unanimous inquest murder verdict against a youth. This is a reported coroner's jury finding; it is not a criminal conviction. [source]
No criminal trial outcome has been verified in the material assembled for this page. We do not name the youth or assert criminal guilt on the basis of the inquest report alone. The full newspaper pages and any subsequent police or court records are the next research step.
Locating the garage
The different street descriptions can describe approaches to the same site. A wartime map and the original reports may clarify its precise position. Until that is established, the illustrated garage on the poster is decorative artwork and is not presented as the actual building.
Follow the sequence
The timeline
- 1 March 1942
Alice was found in a disused garage that night. [source]
- 13–16 March 1942
Reports refer to laboratory examinations at Wakefield. [source]
- 26 March 1942
Hull Daily Mail reports the coroner’s inquiry. [source]
- 27 March 1942
Reported unanimous inquest murder verdict; no criminal conviction established here. [source]
The next chapter of research
What remains to be established
- Read the full inquest pages and establish whether any subsequent criminal proceedings took place.
- Locate the garage precisely using maps and the original reports.
- Research Alice's family and burial without repeating unproven accusations.
These questions are part of the account. We will revise this page when reliable records resolve them.
Sources & references
Links identify the material used and the next places to look. Indexed newspaper text can contain OCR errors; full original pages should be checked before adding further details.
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