A FORMER British Army officer died from an 'extremely rare and unexpected allergic reaction', an inquest has heard.

Jon Baxter, who lived in St Mary Bourne in Andover, died at Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital, in Eastleigh, before having an operation on his hip on Monday, February 20, last year.

An inquest into the married 47-year-old's death was held at Winchester Coroner's Court on Tuesday, February 27. 

The inquest heard Mr Baxter was due to have the operation following a skiing accident.

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Senior coroner Chris Wilkinson said it is likely Mr Baxter, who was a father of two and a coach for Andover New Street Youth Girls from under 11s to under 13s, suffered an allergic reaction to an antibiotic he received before the operation.

Mr Wilkinson said this, along with other drugs administrated before the operation, put him at a higher risk.

The inquest heard that his death was a "sudden shock", with this type of allergic reaction being "incredibly rare, happening in one in 10,000 cases".

Surgeon Jeremy Latham told the court that Mr Baxter collapsed on the operation table and said it is 'not something he has ever seen'.

Dr Charlotte Allan, who gave evidence at the inquest, said: "It became clear there was something more going on and he (Mr Baxter) rapidly deteriorated in the course of a number of minutes."

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Mr Wilkinson read out a statement from Mr Baxter's wife, Samantha Baxter, who was present at the hearing.

In the statement, she said: "Jon was an officer in the British Army for 20 years when he retired in 2017 and he was in good health."

She said that he suffered hip pain which restricted his life and he had even found walking the dog painful.

Her statement continued: "On the day of his death, they (the doctors) were open with me to what they thought had caused his death. They were sad and shocked and treated me with respect."

During the inquest, several medical experts confirmed that all pre-operation checks had been carried out with nothing flagging up. Medical experts attempted to resuscitate Mr Baxter for two hours. 

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Thelma Henderson, director of the private hospital said they have since assessed what has happened.

Mr Wilkinson gave a narrative conclusion. He said: "Jonathon Edward Baxter died as a result of a rare and unexpected allergic reaction."

He said this was with the background of coronary artery disease.

He continued: "If there were a reaction that had developed it was a silent one and it was unknown to him and the medical teams at the time."

Mr Wilkinson added: "He led a full life and did so to the greatest extent with his family around him and I am sure there will be many fond memories you have of him."

Fundraisers set up in Mr Baxter's memory last year raised more than £1,000 for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, as well as £1,000 for Goals 4 Girls and more than £1,000 for Scotty's Little Soldiers. 

There was an outpouring of grief for Mr Baxter, who had served with both the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers and Royal Engineers. 

One fundraising page said: "He was an honest and genuine type of guy, who would help and support many of his friends, family and girls who he coached. Jon's passing will be felt by so many within his work life, Andover New Street FC, by all his friends and family."