JIGGENS, Arthur
Born c.1878; died 21 November 1918; buried 22 November 1918; age 40
Arthur JIGGENS’ (i) death was unusual: he broke his neck after falling six storeys from the Grand Hotel, probably because of delirium brought on by influenza.
He worked at the hotel in Willis Street. Built in 1906 on the site of at least three earlier hotels, The Grand was a favoured meeting place for Wellingtonians, especially those who fancied a drink on the roof of its veranda while watching the passing parade on the street below. Equally it was a magnet for out-of-towners visiting the capital for a few days and keen to take advantage of the facilities that it offered, in fine dining, gracious lounges and well-appointed bedrooms.
One notable visitor in 1918 was the bass singer Signor Caeseroni, who thrilled his fans by singing the Marseillaise from the hotel veranda when victory for the Allies was in sight (ii).
Arthur would have met or at least seen many guests in his role as a porter, albeit mainly working in the cellars. He was also one of the employees entitled to his own room on site, up on the sixth floor.
He was born in England, perhaps in London, perhaps in Essex. It is not certain when he migrated to New Zealand. The most likely year is 1914, when someone identified on the passenger list as ‘A Jiggens’, scullion, entered Wellington on 16 July 1914 on the ss Moana sailing from Sydney. He came to Wellington again on the same vessel on 5 November 1914, this time as a third cook from San Francisco. The Moana was a Union Steam Ship Co vessel, sailing on the Sydney-New Zealand-San Francisco run for many years.
Arthur was vulnerable to airborne infections because he worked in an occupation with frequent public contact. When he became ill in 1918, he was advised to keep to his bed. Some flu victims experienced delirium and hallucinations, and this seems to have been Arthur’s experience. The Evening Post reported on the inquest held the day after his death:
Shortly after 1 o’clock yesterday an attendant knocked at his door, but could get no answer. She heard the window rattling, and went to an adjoining lavatory, through the window of which she saw his body falling to the ground. He was quite dead when picked up. (iii)
The Coroner returned a verdict that Arthur’s death was due to a broken neck caused by his having jumped from the sixth storey window of the hotel delirious as a result of influenza. He was 40.
He died intestate and was buried in Karori Cemetery Public 2 Section, Plot 282 I.
Researched by John Boyd and Max Kerr and written by Max Kerr
(i) His surname was spelt Jiggens on his death certificate but Jiggins in the Cemetery records.
(ii) Old Wellington Hotels, Pat Lawlor, Millwood Press, 1974
(iii) Evening Post, 22 November 1918
Born c.1878; died 21 November 1918; buried 22 November 1918; age 40
Arthur JIGGENS’ (i) death was unusual: he broke his neck after falling six storeys from the Grand Hotel, probably because of delirium brought on by influenza.
He worked at the hotel in Willis Street. Built in 1906 on the site of at least three earlier hotels, The Grand was a favoured meeting place for Wellingtonians, especially those who fancied a drink on the roof of its veranda while watching the passing parade on the street below. Equally it was a magnet for out-of-towners visiting the capital for a few days and keen to take advantage of the facilities that it offered, in fine dining, gracious lounges and well-appointed bedrooms.
One notable visitor in 1918 was the bass singer Signor Caeseroni, who thrilled his fans by singing the Marseillaise from the hotel veranda when victory for the Allies was in sight (ii).
Arthur would have met or at least seen many guests in his role as a porter, albeit mainly working in the cellars. He was also one of the employees entitled to his own room on site, up on the sixth floor.
He was born in England, perhaps in London, perhaps in Essex. It is not certain when he migrated to New Zealand. The most likely year is 1914, when someone identified on the passenger list as ‘A Jiggens’, scullion, entered Wellington on 16 July 1914 on the ss Moana sailing from Sydney. He came to Wellington again on the same vessel on 5 November 1914, this time as a third cook from San Francisco. The Moana was a Union Steam Ship Co vessel, sailing on the Sydney-New Zealand-San Francisco run for many years.
Arthur was vulnerable to airborne infections because he worked in an occupation with frequent public contact. When he became ill in 1918, he was advised to keep to his bed. Some flu victims experienced delirium and hallucinations, and this seems to have been Arthur’s experience. The Evening Post reported on the inquest held the day after his death:
Shortly after 1 o’clock yesterday an attendant knocked at his door, but could get no answer. She heard the window rattling, and went to an adjoining lavatory, through the window of which she saw his body falling to the ground. He was quite dead when picked up. (iii)
The Coroner returned a verdict that Arthur’s death was due to a broken neck caused by his having jumped from the sixth storey window of the hotel delirious as a result of influenza. He was 40.
He died intestate and was buried in Karori Cemetery Public 2 Section, Plot 282 I.
Researched by John Boyd and Max Kerr and written by Max Kerr
(i) His surname was spelt Jiggens on his death certificate but Jiggins in the Cemetery records.
(ii) Old Wellington Hotels, Pat Lawlor, Millwood Press, 1974
(iii) Evening Post, 22 November 1918