A retired printer described by family as “an eccentric character” took an overdose a day before a mental health appointment an inquest heard.

75-year-old Reggie Thomas was found by his daughter on Monday, April 13 at his home in North Approach, Watford after taking an overdose of anti-histamine tablets.

Mr Thomas, who went by his middle name rather than his Christian name Arthur, was admitted to Watford General Hospital on Wednesday, April 8, after saying he had taken some tablets, feeling “fed up” and having breathing problems and difficulty swallowing.

Dr Rachel Friel saw Mr Thomas when he was admitted to the A&E department.

She told Hatfield Coroner's Court he seemed anxious and when she probed further made an “unusual comment” that he had “thought about taking a lot of tablets in one go”.

She said: “He made another comment that disturbed me when he said ‘animals can be put down if they have medical problems, but we can’t’. But he said he was not planning to do anything at the time.”

Dr Friel prescribed Mr Thomas Gaviscon for symptoms of the sore throat and contacted Mr Thomas’ GP, who said there was no history of attempted suicide.

He was seen by the hospital’s mental health liaison nurse, Jonathan Barnes, who said the overriding impression of Mr Thomas was he was “angry about something”.

It was difficult to get him to open up, but he was preoccupied with the difficulty he had swallowing and constantly referred to the fear he was choking to death, the inquest was told.

Mr Thomas admitted taking a sleeping tablet, but told the nurse it was to stop the sensation in his throat rather than end his life.

Mr Barnes said: “He was fed up with things, but didn’t display any intent to take matters into his own hands.”

He was worried about his wife Beryl, who suffers from Alzheimer's and “reluctantly” admitted he may be depressed, said Mr Barnes.

Mr Thomas was referred to the community mental health team by Mr Barnes but before the visit took a fatal dose of Doxylamine, a sedative and decongestant he bought in large quantities off the internet.

During Tuesday’s inquest Anthony Thomas praised staff at Watford General for the care his brother, “a private man”, had received.

He said: “The care he was given was exceptional. It was beyond what you would expect really. I think it was marvellous.

“But it would have been unknown if he had lived because he would not have told us how good they were.

“He was a recluse really. He had a loving family and a good daughter and son. He was quite a difficult man and rather old fashioned. One of the last of the Victorian era.

”Most of his life was trouble free. He always did what he wanted to do. He was rather a character.”

Mr Thomas had been a heavy smoker and a post mortem by Dr Matilda Fajinmi revealed Emphysema but she could find nothing wrong with Mr Thomas’ throat. The stomach was found to contain a “potentially fatal” dose of Doxylamine.

Coroner Edward Thomas recorded a verdict that he took his own life but linked it to his physical condition. He said: “Without that it wouldn’t have happened.”

Reggie Thomas came to Watford from Tooting with his family as a five-year-old. He worked as a printer in Watford at Sun Engraving and later Odhams Press in North Watford.

A keen darts player until recent years he could often be found playing and enjoying a pint at The Breakspeare in Abbots Langley, and had taught himself to play the organ.

After the inquest his brother Anthony, paid tribute to him. “He didn’t really have a hobby, but played the organ not too badly. He was self taught. He was the only one in the family that could play an instrument,” he said.

“He will go down as rather an eccentric character.”

He added: “It brings out the right to die question. It is obviously on the agenda when there is no returning to reasonable health.

“He was in terrible pain. It is terrible when you cannot breathe. He was quite a chatty bloke coming from London, but in the end it took him five minutes to get one sentence out.”