Millie Ann Gentry Obituary, Death: Nursing student Millie Ann Gentry, who was 19 and from Gomersal, Cleckheaton died in a beach tragedy.
Millie, aged 19 and from Gomersal, Cleckheaton, was on a student placement in Ghana at the time of the incident.
She was just over two weeks into a one-month volunteering placement at a hospital in Ghana when the tragedy occurred in the early hours of March 17 last year.
Millie had been staying in lodgings in Busua, a beach resort, with her friend Erin Byrnes from Halifax, when they decided to go for a swim in the sea just after midnight along with another friend, Lewis Mallinson.
Tragically, during the swim, the waves pulled them in, and despite efforts to save her, Millie drowned. Erin described how she attempted to lift Millie while screaming for help but was unable to rescue her.
Despite extensive rescue efforts involving around 30 villages, Millie’s body was found four hours later.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Millie had drowned and had suffered a head injury while in the sea.
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Millie’s mother, Tracy, described her as a ‘beautiful girl’ who had dedicated her life to children’s nursing. Millie, who had three siblings, was studying for a nursing degree at Bradford University.
Tracy spoke of Millie’s kindness, intelligence, and newfound confidence, attributed to her boyfriend, Elvis.
The inquest heard evidence from Christopher Holland, a director with The Mighty Roar, the company that organized the volunteering trip.