• Born: 24 Jun 1896, Plumstead, Kent, England ¹
• Christened: 22 Jul 1896, St. John, Woolwich, Kent, England ¹
• Died: 25 Jan 1937, Royal Portsmouth Hospital, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England ^{2 3 4}
• Buried: 30 Jan 1937, Greenwich, London, England ³

  Research Notes:

James T. H. Kitterhing died aged 40 years. ²

James Thomas Kittering of 197 Grangehill-road London S.E.9 died 25 January 1937 at Royal Hospital Portsmouth. Administration London 8 March to Maria Kitterhing, widow. Effects £142 16s. 7d. ⁴

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"ENGINEER'S COLLAPSE AFTER CLEANING PLUGS.

A marine engineer died at the Royal Portsmouth Hospital last night in exceptional circumstances.
The dead man was James Kitterhing (40), of 197, Grange Hill Road, Eltham, London, S.E.9, and he was employed as third engineer in the War Department vessel Eagle.
Yesterday afternoon the Eagle was lying off the Portsmouth Gunwharf, and Kitterhing with another engineer, was starting up the motor engines when the midde engine backfired into the carburetter, which caught fire.
The fuel supply was caught off from the tank, and the slight fire which ensued was extinguished with an automatic extinguisher attached to the engine. Later Kitterhing leaned over the engine to extract and clean the plugs.
At six o'clock he was taken ill and collapsed, and he was removed to the Royal Portsmouth Hospital, where he died four hours later.
At present the man's death represents a mystery, but it is possible that fumes from the extinguisher got into the man's lungs and set up asphyxiation."

Portsmouth Evening News, 26 January 1937.