servicemans death accident or suicide ?

[izzy]

i will not post his detail's here but a serviceman that i am researching shot himself while based in scotland however a newspaper article says that it was a tragic accident. scottish death certificate gives cause of death as gunshot wound to head and in brackets suicide. my two main questions are 1/ will there be a mention of this in any offical journal i.e war diary. 2/ seeing that im hoping to write a book on my village war dead how do i go about it without offending his family do i put down the truth or misguid people and just mention the accident comments appreciated the only thing that i will mention is that he was a soldier in the r.a and based in scotland

[Ron Goldstein]

Originally Posted by izzy

i will not post his detail's here but a serviceman that i am researching shot himself while based in scotland however a newspaper article says that it was a tragic accident. scottish death certificate gives cause of death as gunshot wound to head and in brackets suicide. my two main questions are 1/ will there be a mention of this in any offical journal i.e war diary. 2/ seeing that im hoping to write a book on my village war dead how do i go about it without offending his family do i put down the truth or misguid people and just mention the accident comments appreciated the only thing that i will mention is that he was a soldier in the r.a and based in scotland

IZZY

The guiding principle must surely be to err on the cautious side and never knowingly cause suffering to relatives or friends of the serviceman concerned.

In my own Regimental Diaries there is the following entry:

DATE
Tpr xxxxxxxxxxxx died whilst on guard duty. Cause of death was 3 GSW in head.

Nothing more in the record and, in all honesty, I do not remember the incident although I was clearly still serving at the time in question

Regards

Ron

[Owen]

Wouldn't there be a Coroner's Report or and Inquest on file somewhere?
There must be something as you say this is what the Death Certificaste says...

scottish death certificate gives cause of death as gunshot wound to head and in brackets suicide.

[izzy]

from what iv'e been told scotland does'nt have a coronors office as such and all suspicious deaths are recorded at local registar offices that's why the death certificate gives more facts say than an english certificate but i do stand to be corrected.