London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Broken-hearted wife took her own life hours after husband died of coronavirus

Broken-hearted wife took her own life hours after husband died of coronavirus

Wing Commander Robin Bamfield's wife Susan said she could not live without him in her heartbreaking suicide note, which was found by her son at their home in Wokingham, Berkshire

Draped in flowers and a flag with 'Mum' and 'Dad' wreaths at the foot of their coffins, Susan and Robin Bamfield were united in death as they were in life.

Their marriage was destroyed by coronavirus in a few short hours. Susan, 71, took her own life just a day after her husband succumbed to Covid-19.

Wing Commander Bamfield, MBE, 76, was taken to hospital at the start of the outbreak to be treated for swelling from a sepsis infection which had left him in intensive care for almost 100 days in 2016.

His family had not wanted him admitted during the pandemic as they believed he was especially vulnerable, an inquest at Reading Coroners Court heard today.

Sarah Bamfield, the couple's daughter, told a coroner: "We begged them not to take him into hospital but the doctors said that was the only way, so he had a month in hospital.

"They had actually managed to alleviate the problem as such, then - Covid."


Mr Bamfield was aged 76 years when he died (pictured here with his wife Susan)


Mr Bamfield died on May 1 and his wife returned to their home in Wokingham, Berkshire.

The couple's son Mark found his mother unresponsive in her bed the next day. He also discovered a suicide note addressed to him and his sister.

Alan Blake, the assistant Coroner for Berkshire, summarising the note, said: "It was addressed to Sarah and to Mark, seeking your forgiveness for leaving but expressing your mother feeling broken-hearted and being unable to live without your father.

"She wanted you both to know how much she loved both of you."

Police found empty blister packs of anti-depressant medication at the house. The coroner said that this was known to cause seizures and death when taken in large quantities.

A post mortem found Mrs Bamfield was in relatively fit health for her age and gave the cause of her death as toxicity of the anti-depressant drug. No alcohol or other drugs were detected.

Mr Bamfield told police he had no idea his mother was planning to take her own life and explained she was a pancreatic cancer survivor, who had recently been suffering with anxiety and depression, for which she was taking medication.


Reading Coroners Court heard the inquest


In a family statement submitted to the hearing, he said: "Susan, mum, was a loving wife, loving mother-of-two and extremely loving and proud grandmother-of-two.

"Mum was an emotional lady, often having to resort to anti-depressants to cope. With the loss of her dear husband, she just could not carry on.

"It is with great sadness that mum mum decided to take her life and join my father on his journey to the afterlife."

Sarah Bamfield, who attended the inquest, added that her mother was "sadly missed and loved."

Mrs Bamfield was born in Reading and had worked as a sales consultant until retirement. She volunteered at the Blue Cross charity shop in Wokingham.

Concluding the inquest, Mr Blake said that he was satisfied that she had intended to take her own life.

"Susan Bamfield was profoundly distressed when her husband Robin became seriously ill. When Robin died on May 1, Susan consumed an overdose of anti-depressant medication that she had been prescribed," he said.

"I am satisfied both by the sad circumstances of this case and the expressions in the note that she left... that Susan did take her own life by means of an overdose and that she intended to do so in her grief on May 2."

Mark Bamfield has raised £1,200 for the charity Helping Homeless Veterans UK, a charity supported by his parents.

A spokesman for the charity said: "Wing Commander Robin Harold Bamfield MBE and his wife Susan May Bamfield passed away tragically recently and my close friend Mark Bamfield who was suffering this huge loss with the rest of his family had to say goodbye to his parents.

"Wing Commander Bamfield MBE had stated before his passing that he did not want flowers but wanted people to donate to our organisation because he was passionate about the work that we carry out in The Veterans Community.

"Mark set up a memorial page where people could donate to our organisation and myself and our directors are humbled to see that £1,100 has been raised in total so far.

"It is impossible to put into words how grateful we are to receive this huge amount of money and we will make sure that every year their memory will live on.

"For this to be arranged when people are suffering in immense grief takes great courage that Mark has in abundance and from the bottom of our hearts we thank you. May Robin and Susan Rest in Peace."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×