A DISTINGUISHED former soldier with a long military career, who was terminally ill with cancer, died after suffering a morphine overdose, an inquest heard.

The hearing at Warrington Coroner's Court on Thursday last week was told that 61-year-old James Douglass, of Forshaw Street, Orford, died in August last year after suffering morphine toxicity.

Cheshire coroner Nicholas Rheinberg recorded an open verdict, stating that there was not enough evidence to conclude otherwise.

The inquest heard that Mr Douglass, who was born in Glasgow, was terminally ill with cancer and regularly travelled to Clatterbridge Hospital in Wirral for treatment with two other ex-servicemen, Frank Laverty and George Shanks.

The trio had served in the forces together and after losing touch, had become friends once again.

The inquest heard that the three friends regularly kept in touch with each other by phone and in person and that Mr Laverty and Mr Shanks became concerned when Mr Douglass was not answering his calls on August 15.

When police forced entry to his home later that evening, they found him dead, slumped in his chair. Mr Douglass regularly took the morphine as pain relief for his cancer.

Mr Laverty told the court that Mr Douglass had been in excellent spirits on the previous evening and would never have contemplated taking his own life - despite occasionally suffering from depression. He added that Mr Shanks had subsequently died since the death of Mr Douglass.

Mr Rheinberg paid tribute to the "three musketeers" and praised Mr Douglass' military record.