City PC Thompson?

[Simon Wood]

Hi Andy,

Given the ability of top cops to confuse the facts, could Sir Basil Thompson have been talking about Millers rather than Mitre Court?

Regards,

Simon

[aspallek]

Thanks Simon, but I believe you have identified Ernest Thompson who found the dying body of Frances Coles. He was a Met PC. I was looking for the possibility of a City PC in 1888 by the name of Thompson.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

There was also a Police Constable Ernest Thompson 240H who was stabbed to death in 1900. I've no idea when he joined, but his eldest son was 12 [b.1888] at the time, if that's any sort of clue.

Regards,

Simon

[Robert]

Andy, there was a City PC E Thompson in Jan 1899 (press report). When he joined I've no idea.

[aspallek]

In reading Sir Basil Thompson's The Story of Scotland Yard, I ran across his curious statement that a police constable saw JtR in "Mitre Court." Of course, this seems to be an error taken over from Griffiths and based on Macnaghten's statement in the Aberconway version of his memo where he makes mention of a "City PC" witness at Mitre Square.

Sir Basil, however, identifies this PC witness by the name of "Thompson." Once again, this would seem to be a confusion with the PC who discovered Coles' body, one PC Ernest Thompson. However, Sir Basil mentions the Coles case and PC Thompson just two paragraphs below his mention of the PC witness named "Thompson" and he gives no indication that he is talking about the same person. In fact, he identifies Ernest Thompson (he does not give the first name) as a "young officer" in 1891, implying that Sir Basil realizes he was not on the force in 1888. Furthermore, PC Ernest Thompson was with the Met while a PC witness at either Mitre Square or Mitre Court would almost have to be a City PC.

While I do believe this is probably an error, I also think we ought to ask whether there was a City PC named "Thompson" in 1888 who might have seen a suspect at either Mitre Square or possibly even Mitre Court, which is just off King's Bench Walk and also in the City.

Can anyone confirm whether or not there was a PC Thompson with the City Police in 1888?