Desperate Second World War veteran killed himself with family heirloom shotgun because he 'didn't want to lose his independence and go into a care home'

• Widower George Duckmanton, 88, was losing his eyesight but wanted to stay living in his own home

By Rick Dewsbury

PUBLISHED: 15:43 GMT, 23 July 2012 | UPDATED: 15:45 GMT, 23 July 2012

A desperate WWII veteran killed himself with a shotgun because he feared he would have to go into a care home and loose his independence, an inquest heard.

George Duckmanton, 88, whose eyesight was failing, was terrified by his deteriorating health and did not want to lose his freedom.

Mr Duckmanton, a retired sergeant who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was ‘fiercely independent’ and desperately did not want to move out of his own home despite the fact he was going blind.

Lincoln Coroner’s Court heard Mr Duckmanton climbed through a fence onto a railway embankment behind his home and shot himself.

The court heard the shotgun was an heirloom given to him by his father.

Nephew David Easton, 73, said today that George ‘hated institutions’ and was trying to cling on to his independence.

FULL STORY: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2177754/Second-World-War-ve...