Dead Ringer

It was in the autumn of 1938 that a Mr Ernest Frederick Bennett, travelled from his home in Shoreham, to visit his sister in Bath. According to reports, the visit was a last minute decision, so none of his close circle of friends knew he had gone away. He was well known in his local neighbourhood as he was an engineer and an inventor of some interesting products.

Whilst Ernest was enjoying catching up with his sister, a body was recovered in the river Adur, that runs through Shoreham. Several people identified the body as being that of Ernest and it made sense that Ernest hadn’t been seen in the neighbourhood for several days.

A Bath police officer later turned up at Ernest’s sisters’ abode, to tell her of her brothers demise, when the front door was opened by Ernest. This shocked the police officer as in his possession, was the photos of the body found in the river. The police officer even showed Ernest the photos and Ernest was shocked to see the dead mans face, looking almost as identical as his own face!

Ernest was able to prove who he was to the Bath police and they even called the Shoreham police, who spoke to Ernest on the phone and they identified him by his voice.

Ernest made his way back to Shoreham after he was told they were burying the body that people had mistaken him for. He didn’t make the funeral but got there as the mourners were leaving and gave them such a shock!

For the next few weeks, wherever he went, he gave the locals such a fright, especially the local hotel manager, who had been one of the people who had identified the body, and he nearly fainted on the spot when he saw Ernest.

Ernest’s friends were glad that it hadn’t been him who turned up dead in the river but felt it very sad for the friends and family of the poor man that had drowned.