Whitechapel Society Meeting 2nd August

[coral]

Hi Philip

Have just had an email from Fiona. The photo of John McCarthy was not a dot matrix reprodution. I looked at it quite closely and there was something in the background which might suggest so. The photo was a copy made in 1971 at about the time Fiona's in-law took it on himself to burn a lot of family memoriabila.

Coral

[Stephen Thomas]

^ What she said.

PHILIP

As you wish.

[coral]

Please can we get this thread back on track and not be London Transport's
journey planner!

I have had an email from Fiona who said she thoroughly enjoyed the evening as did her hubby & friend and she thanks everyone for attending.

As far as I can remember this is the first time that a speaker has been besieged by so many questions. Unfortunately I had to leave at 10.45 and Fiona was still being 'grilled'.

Coral

[George Hutchinson]

^ What she said.

PHILIP

[coral]

Not quite right Stephen.

The esculators between the Bank & Monument are being refurbished and are out of action until August 2009.

If travelling on the Northern Line, I find it best to get off at Moorgate and get the Hammersmith & City to Aldgate East.

Coral

[Stephen Thomas]

By the way, I wouldn't recommend changing from Bank to Monument stations as it's the best part of ten minutes walking underground to cross from one to the other up and down loads of stairs, not all of them moving. Any other route would serve you better!

Not so Philip! What you are describing is the journey between the Bank Central Line platforms and the Bank Northern Line platforms which is indeed a bit of a slog. This is because the Northern Line Bank stop is actually at Monument station and therefore directly below the Monument itself. If you're coming from Camden on the Northern Line in the front carriage you can step off the train straight on to the escalator which takes you to the District Line. It's a dastardly plot by London Transport to simplify the Tube Map I reckon. So when you're doing that slog underground it's the same as walking overground from the Monument to the Bank of England.

Best wishes

[anna]

Hi Stephen and Philip,
Thanks for your replies.I shall bear those directions in mind for when I eventually attend a WS1888 meeting.
I had a look on our Photo Archive.McCarthy looks similar to the image I had of him in my mind.But seeing as though a lot of males of that time wore their hair parted in the middle,with the moustache,I suppose that was to be expected.
ANNA.

[George Hutchinson]

To give a slightly fuller description, the image Fiona showed us is not a photograph. It is a dot matrix copy. When I questioned her on this she told me that the original had been destroyed by a family member who didn't want any traces of the JTR case around but that her own father used to have this copy on his desk.

McCarthy had a fairly full, droopy moustache somewhat akin to what you'd see in the Wild West (though more orderly and not so overhanging). His face was a little longer than you'd think from the drawing but otherwise, very similar.

By the way, I wouldn't recommend changing from Bank to Monument stations as it's the best part of ten minutes walking underground to cross from one to the other up and down loads of stairs, not all of them moving. Any other route would serve you better!

PHILIP

[Stephen Thomas]

Hi again Anna

Camden Town underground, southbound on the Morden via Bank Line, change at Bank onto the District line to Aldgate East . Or the via Charing Cross branch to Embankment also change onto the District Line. The scenic route is change at Tottenham Court Road onto the Central Line to Liverpool Street and stroll through Artillary Passage, Commercial Street, Wentworth Street and Goulston Street. There's a bit of a long change at Kings Cross onto the Hammersmith and City Line but it gets you there. 25 minutes and out for all routes to WS Meetings from Camden.

[anna]

Many thanks

Hi Coral and Stephen,
Thanks for the replies.
I shall go over and have a look at the image of John McCarthy in the photo archive..bet it'll be nothing like what I imagined he'd look like.
ANNA.

[coral]

Hi Anna

Stephen has described the photo exactly.

Just to add - the sketch-artists for the press in 1888 were spot on - just
look at any of their drawings and you have John McCarthy. There is one of
him in the photo archive on this site but probably a little older than the photo we saw.

Coral

[Stephen Thomas]

Sounded like a brilliant meeting.

Out of interest,would anyone who attended,care to give the rest of us a description of what McCarthy looked like? Would love to know.

Hi Anna

It certainly was. Fiona gave a most fascinating talk.

The photo is in a frame, about 7x5 inches, and is a studio portrait showing Jack McCarthy with his son Steve and his grand-son, Fiona's father. The photo must be rather old and Jack McCarthy who must have been in his late forties appears to have been a smart, handsome and youthful looking man.

[anna]

Hi Coral,
I couldn't believe what I just read....some idiot threatening to disrupt your meeting...sounds like one of these no-brains that we have had annoying the threads over the last couple of months.

Sounded like a brilliant meeting.

Out of interest,would anyone who attended,care to give the rest of us a description of what McCarthy looked like?Would love to know.. h

Hope it's OK to ask.

ANNA.

[John Bennett]

Indeed, last night's meeting did not seem to have a clear-cut finish!

However, Fiona's talk was peppered with incredible information about 'Jack' McCarthy and Dorset Street, some of which you felt can only be passed through family and then personal experience. On occasions, the information she was giving seemed almost 'spooky'.

Oh, and I still didn't win anything in the raffle. Poo.

[coral]

I would just like to thank everyone who turned up at last night's meeting.

For me, it was a roller coaster ride having been stalked on the internet by someone who threatened to come along & accuse Fiona of being the great-grand-daughter of JTR. Thankfully this did not happen.

Thank you all for being so polite and attentative.

Fiona was 'beseiged' by may questions. I trust she didn't mind the dreaded raffle being drawn while she was talking to indiduals. I just hope she enjoyed the night as much as I did.

We were all privileged to see the first (and only known) photograph of John McCarthy together with many other items of family memorabilia.

Coral