The South Wales Daily Post Headline, 16 June 1923 - “SWANSEA STUDENT KILLED AT BRISTOL”

The South Wales Daily Post Headline, 16 June 1923

“SWANSEA STUDENT KILLED AT BRISTOL”

South Wales Daily Post

The South Wales Daily Post of 16 June 1923 carried the stark headline announcing the death of nineteen‑year‑old Cyril Strawbaum, a Swansea‑born science student at Bristol University. The accompanying report described how, while cycling to lunch at his lodgings at 92 Gloucester Street, Brunswick Square, his bicycle skidded on Ferry Road, throwing him beneath a passing steam wagon. He was taken immediately to the infirmary but died three‑quarters of an hour later. Cyril, the only son of Mr. C. Strawbaum of Cwmdonkin Terrace, had previously attended Swansea Grammar School.

Cyril Strawbaum

Photograph Published Two Days Later

Two days after the initial report, the newspaper published a photograph of Cyril, noting: “The Late Mr. Cyril Strausbaum (19), of Cwmdonkin Terrace, Swansea, a Bristol University student, lost his life on Friday in a tragic accident at Bristol when his bicycle skidded, throwing him beneath a passing lorry.” It added that his remains would arrive at High Street G.W.R. Station at 1.5 p.m. on Tuesday, after which the funeral would take place at the Jewish Cemetery.

Herald of Wales

The Herald of Wales Inquest Report, 23 June 1923

“SWANSEA STUDENT: INQUEST ON BRISTOL CYCLING TRAGEDY”

Cyril Strawbaum
Jewis Cemetery, Swansea
credit - findagrave

The Herald of Wales published the findings of the inquest held before Mr. Frank Richardson, Deputy Coroner for Bristol. Evidence confirmed that Cyril, aged nineteen, of 22 Gloucester Street, Brunswick Square, had been an experienced cyclist for six or seven years.

Witness Charles Edward Ward described how the bicycle slipped on the tram lines, causing Cyril to fall directly in front of a motor lorry travelling at a moderate pace. The driver attempted to avoid him but was unable to do so.

Dr. F. K. Wilson, house surgeon at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, stated that death resulted from a fractured skull. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, adding that no blame was attached to the driver.

Family Background and Early Life

Cyril was born in 1904 at Merthyr Tydfil, the son of Joseph Strawbaum and Sarah Beernbaum, who had married in Leeds in 1902.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census records the family at 29 Fabian Street, St Thomas, Swansea. Joseph, aged forty and Birmingham‑born, was a Wholesale Dealer; his German‑born wife Sarah was thirty‑six. Also present were Joseph’s Polish‑born mother Pauline, aged seventy‑seven, and the children Cyril (7), Freda (6), and Lillian (5), together with a servant, Annie Collins, aged twenty‑nine.

The Family in the 1921 Census

1921 Census

A decade later, the family were living at 11 Cwmdonkin Terrace, Swansea. Joseph, now fifty, was working as a Travelling Commission Agent, while Sarah, aged forty‑four, was recorded as a Housekeeper, her birthplace given as Leeds. Their children were Cyril (17), then an Apprentice in Motor Engineering employed at Gwydyr Garage, Uplands, and his sisters Freda (16) and Lillian (15).