Opening Facebook today I found these old pics of my mate John Flint David, Cool John as we used to call him...the first photo shows him on my bed in my first flat here in Amsterdam when I had just moved to this great city, the other photo is with his dutch girlfriend and my neighbor Magriet. I had not heard of him in over 35 years...his death, already many years back, was tragic and alcohol induced...we weren't friends any more but I hope, wherever you are now, old mate, you are happy and in a better place..
part of the following text is written by John's mother to James.a friend and another member of our gang so may days, week, months, years ago.
johns mother wrote me t his;
Went to hospital where John's body had been transfered to and kept in a cool room. 2doctors both spoke very good English. This is a hospital for land mine victims and R.T.A.s. I went ad sat with him and he looked so beautiful. John had told Nigh that he wanted to be buried in the village so I agreed to that. We went to the village ina kind of big van [John on a stretcher now] and when we reached the village they lifted him onto a prepared table. Then Nigh went away and I wa told that she was preparing to buy the body from me] symbolic] She came back and her mother filled a little basket with leaves and rice, candle and a packet of cigarettesNigh then placed a small money note on it . After that nigh sent me home on the back of a moto.The paths are rutted and wet. They will dig the grave when the time is right. The noise [music] was really getting to me and it was so hot I was drenched. The police are involved and I had to have my photo taken with John and the doctor. I had a form to sign which was then given to me [this is at the hospital still, before we went to the village,] I have no camera with me , nor nightie, nor anything much. Don't know what happens tomorrow yet. Love, Ma
Dear Jim poor John but he died happy and quickly. He also emailed me just before he started work at 4pm. He walked to work that day and would have passed the corner shop which sold the potent rice wine. He must have already drank some. Then he became ill. was taken to hospital and died at 7pm. John's liver was in a very bad state.I talked to the doctor who was not Cambodian and he told me that John;s organs espec, brain and heart would have shut down very quickly/.Isat with John in the cold room and he looked beautiful.He is buried now where he wanted to be. There is a problem here that the rice wine is being doctored maybe with chemicals
Alcohol death: British professor poisoned .Wednesday, 21 September 2011 15:02 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea . .0Share
A BRITISH professor working at Pannasatra University’s Battambang campus died on Monday from suspected alcohol poisoning, police said yesterday.
John Flint David, aged 50, was an English-language professor at the university and died at about 7:00pm on Monday night at the Battambang
Provincial Referral Hospital, said Cheth Vanny, Battambang Provincial Police deputy chief.
“He died from an overdose of drinking Yinsin bottled wine,” Cheth Vanny told the Post yesterday by telephone.
David had been married to a Cambodian 28-year-old woman in Battambang province. His wife told police that her husband was a regular wine drinker, and always drank four to five glasses of Yinsin wine every night when he finished his English teaching and returned home.
The doctor’s report concluded that the British national died from excess consumption of alcohol.
The report said the level of alcohol in his system was very high and that he had died due to alcohol poisoning, Cheth Vanny said.
goodbye john my best friend i love you guy
