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press headlined the attempt:
‘Reckless Adventurer or
Bizarre Suicide Attempt?’
The date isn’t clear, but in
April 1928 he set off from the
sunken garden at Southend in
a collapsible boat with a
passport in his pocket intent
on reaching France. But a
mile from the pier head a
large wave overturned him
and two hours later he was
rescued. The following month
the Southend Pictorial