Describe how you 1st heard about Jack the Ripper

[richardnunweek]

My grandmother 1880-1963, mentioned when I was about ten years old, that she, and her sisters, were often told to come in from playing outside as the London Bogey man may be around. and they lived in Surrey..

[phantom]

I was in very early primary school late 70’s and came across one of those ‘unexplained mysteries’ type books in the school library with chapters on ufos, bigfoot, Mary Celeste etc.

The Ripper chapter was a two page spread and I remember (mostly in hindsight) it was about the discovery of the Macnaghten memorandum and how the Ripper was not a doctor but a barrister MJ Druitt.

I definitely remember a picture of Druitt and the Nemesis of Neglect.

I remember thinking something like “that can’t be right I thought he was a doctor!” so obviously I must’ve heard about him previously from somewhere.

I took the book home and showed my Mother and Grandmother who both agreed that “everyone knew” he was a doctor

[Abby Normal]

as a young kid in upstate New York, Jack the Ripper was talked about amongst us kids as a kind of Bogeyman.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I first read a book belonging to a great Aunt called The Fifty Most Amazing Crime’s Of The Last Hundred Years. It had a ripper section of course with a question mark (I think that there’s a famous ripper author who also read this book first?) I was hoping that my aunt would give me the book but the family had a falling out and I never saw her again. I ended up buying it. I then bought the Wilson and Odell book followed by Stephen Knight. Then Rumbelow, McCormick, Begg, Fraser, Cullen, Matters etc. I became a bit of an obsessive collector for a few years. When I was around 20 I felt really daring by spending £40 on a small paperback called The Harlot Killer (it was pretty much a weeks wages!) I went to house clearance and found Major Arthur Griffiths Mysteries Of Police And Crime’s. Never got a William Stewart though I have a friend who has one (and an original Woodhall and the autobiographies of Macnaghten, Anderson and Smith.)

Don’t really bother anymore as there are too many books appearing and most are a waste of ink and paper. I’m looking forward to Adam Wood’s book on Swanson though. I’m surprised there’s not a thread on here for JTR book collectors.

[Michael W Richards]

I arrived late to the study, it was the books released during the 100th anniversary period that I first read. Yeah, that includes the Diary. To be frank what really fascinated me at first was the fact this was running parallel to the Jekyll and Hyde production in town. Which fit with the Top Hatted toff, black bag and dark cape myth. Like Fannys sighting. It didn't take long for me to see big holes in the Canonical theories though, and that's what keeps me in the game I suppose.

[GUT]

From my dad’s uncle (who dad lived with much of his life) who said members of our family knew who it was, I was probable 11 or 12 at the time, then years later got a lot of free time due to health and decided to see if there was any connections to tell me who. Found a few named suspects my family could have known about.

[George Dixon]

I was told about JTR by my father , many years ago. It came out of the fact that he knew John Christie, who he would speak about at length. Christie had worked as a projectionist at The Royalty Cinema in Lancaster Road, where my father first met him. Lancaster Road being just yards from Rillington Place.

[Wickerman]

The same with me, I heard my father talking about Jack the Ripper, I hadn't a clue who he was, being only a teenager at the time.
A very short time after I saw a book about Jack the Ripper in a book shop (I lived in the UK at the time), the book was 25p. This was 1970, I had just started work from leaving school.

I bought the book, The Mystery of Jack the Ripper, Donald McCormick. So that was my first book. From that time on I was engrossed in the mystery.
So off I went to the library and ordered all the books ever written about Jack the Ripper. They all came at once, the Ripper was not the hot topic it is today so all the books were available, every one, I read them all - all 5 of them
I remember them to this day; the books by Matters, Woodhall, Stewart, Cullen, and Odell. I read them all in the month. I have my own copies now, except the one by Stewart, I thought that idea was a waste of time.

[Patrick S]

I think I was ten or eleven. My grandmother kept tabloids around, National Enquirer, etc. The cover of one of them read something like "Jack the Ripper: CAUGHT!" In reading it I remember they identified M. J. Druitt. I went to the library and checked out several books on the murders. Bought a few, too... which I still have, obviously.

A few years later, now sixteen, I started my first job. Working at a "Garden Center", greenhouse, landscaping company. There was an ancient man there who came in each morning to water the plants. ALWAYS smelled of alcohol, by the way. He was British and came to America after the war. Somehow the subject came up and, over the next few years, that's pretty much all we talked about. He was born in Whitechapel in 1898 (making him 87 when I met him). He wasn't alive when the killings occurred. But he said Jack the Ripper was talked about constantly when he was a boy ("Jack will get you", all that). He also told me his parents lived in Goulston Street in 1888, which, obviously, amazed me. And he told me that "everyone knew who he was". He said that he was a local man and everyone "knew he'd do something like it before he did it". He said his mother and uncle used to talk about the day they came and "took Jack the Ripper away". He maintained that he was taken to an asylum but "the police killed him" there by letting him starve to death. He lived to be 100 years old. I visited him about two years before he died, in 1996, I think. I took a copy of Sugden's book I'd just picked up. I stayed around five hours. The man could still drink more that I could. I made notes of what he said to me all throughout the book. I was angry I did that and had to go buy another. I re-read that book often, and find I ONLY read the book in which I wrote that day.

I often wonder how much of what he told me was true. I can say he was consistent, though.

[Christian]

For me would be 1988 with a lot of centenarie new books-articles etc also dad and uncle had a lot of true crime books magazines so got me reading from then on starting collecting buying the books by Fido -Cullen -McCormick-Matters-Begg-Knight etc I have a massive passion for the streets & buildings collecting & taking images Also my uncle visited the east end in late 50s-60s and took some fab images So my passion apart from the suspects on the case the social history is the streets & buildings and have gathered quite some knowlage I hope in 30 years

[Herlock Sholmes]

The same with me, I heard my father talking about Jack the Ripper, I hadn't a clue who he was, being only a teenager at the time.
A very short time after I saw a book about Jack the Ripper in a book shop (I lived in the UK at the time), the book was 25p. This was 1970, I had just started work from leaving school.

I bought the book, The Mystery of Jack the Ripper, Donald McCormick. So that was my first book. From that time on I was engrossed in the mystery.
So off I went to the library and ordered all the books ever written about Jack the Ripper. They all came at once, the Ripper was not the hot topic it is today so all the books were available, every one, I read them all - all 5 of them
I remember them to this day; the books by Matters, Woodhall, Stewart, Cullen, and Odell. I read them all in the month. I have my own copies now, except the one by Stewart, I thought that idea was a waste of time.

You’d have to come up with the best part of £2000 to get one of those now

[Herlock Sholmes]

I think I was ten or eleven. My grandmother kept tabloids around, National Enquirer, etc. The cover of one of them read something like "Jack the Ripper: CAUGHT!" In reading it I remember they identified M. J. Druitt. I went to the library and checked out several books on the murders. Bought a few, too... which I still have, obviously.

A few years later, now sixteen, I started my first job. Working at a "Garden Center", greenhouse, landscaping company. There was an ancient man there who came in each morning to water the plants. ALWAYS smelled of alcohol, by the way. He was British and came to America after the war. Somehow the subject came up and, over the next few years, that's pretty much all we talked about. He was born in Whitechapel in 1898 (making him 87 when I met him). He wasn't alive when the killings occurred. But he said Jack the Ripper was talked about constantly when he was a boy ("Jack will get you", all that). He also told me his parents lived in Goulston Street in 1888, which, obviously, amazed me. And he told me that "everyone knew who he was". He said that he was a local man and everyone "knew he'd do something like it before he did it". He said his mother and uncle used to talk about the day they came and "took Jack the Ripper away". He maintained that he was taken to an asylum but "the police killed him" there by letting him starve to death. He lived to be 100 years old. I visited him about two years before he died, in 1996, I think. I took a copy of Sugden's book I'd just picked up. I stayed around five hours. The man could still drink more that I could. I made notes of what he said to me all throughout the book. I was angry I did that and had to go buy another. I re-read that book often, and find I ONLY read the book in which I wrote that day.

I often wonder how much of what he told me was true. I can say he was consistent, though.

Interesting story Pat. Those oral histories are fascinating and you’re tantalised by the idea that there may have been a grain of truth there for all we know. Either way it’s interesting to hear how people that were around at the time perceived the case.

[Herlock Sholmes]

For me would be 1988 with a lot of centenarie new books-articles etc also dad and uncle had a lot of true crime books magazines so got me reading from then on starting collecting buying the books by Fido -Cullen -McCormick-Matters-Begg-Knight etc I have a massive passion for the streets & buildings collecting & taking images Also my uncle visited the east end in late 50s-60s and took some fab images So my passion apart from the suspects on the case the social history is the streets & buildings and have gathered quite some knowlage I hope in 30 years

Hi Christian, just think about the flood of new books that will come out in 2088! I hope I’ll have enough spare cash when I’m 123

[Simon Wood]

Hi Patrick S.,

"I think I was ten or eleven. My grandmother kept tabloids around, National Enquirer, etc. The cover of one of them read something like "Jack the Ripper: CAUGHT!" In reading it I remember they identified M. J. Druitt."

Any chance of pinpointing the publication which fingered Druitt?

Many thanks,

Simon

[Meerkat]

I think at Primary school in the 80,s i heard about the ripper, chilling name alone never mind the atrocities commited but i was more frightened of Halloween I at the time i think:-)

It wasn,t until the 90,s i believe i watched a documentary surrounding Jack the Ripper but took more of an interest around 2010/11