New Article on the Swanson Marginalia in Ripperologist 128

[Fleetwood Mac]

I see some wrestle with the apparent contradiction of a highly respected, highly professional Detective making some highly subjective, highly erroneous and very controversial decisions.

If anyone should care to read up on the role played by Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield, Senior Detective in the West Riding Police Force, at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper murders, we can see that a well respected and highly professional detective can make some deplorable, in some cases disastrously subjective decisions.

It is not doing Swanson an injustice to accept he was human.Every coin has two sides.

Regards, Jon S.

But that's not what you're saying.

Oldfield made a monumental error of judgement. That does not make him 'only human'.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, granted, and that is only human; but to make the decision that Oldfield made he is at best a poor decision maker and at worst grossly incompetent.

Swanson clearly believed that the suspect was the murderer. We simply do not know what grounds he had to make such a confident statement, but to say he's only human, just like Oldfield, doesn't wash, becauser we know that Oldfield's decision could never be excused by being 'only human'.

[Lechmere]

The gap just widened - my medal was awarded to 1934 private W Close!

[Steve S]

Another little gap filled............

[Lechmere]

I found the names of four members of the 4th Bn Rifle who went to Kandahar:
Capt. W.W Hammond; Lt. J. Sherston (also shown as Sherstone); 1950 Pte. David Chilton and 2254 Pte. William Gill.

[Steve S]

Hi Steve

I am certainly not forgetting the Royal Marine units that fought under Ross, although I was trying to keep my answer to the British Army men who came to the Chesapeake to show that some of the personnel were soldiers detached from other units.

Chris

I knew you wouldn't.............

[ChrisGeorge]

Yes,that's the type of thing I was thinking of.....Not saying it's even a probable explanation,just possible....Chris,don't forget the Royal Marines!..I may be getting involved in 1812 re-enactment this summer.............

Hi Steve

I am certainly not forgetting the Royal Marine units that fought under Ross, although I was trying to keep my answer to the British Army men who came to the Chesapeake to show that some of the personnel were soldiers detached from other units.

Chris

[Steve S]

Yes,that's the type of thing I was thinking of.....Not saying it's even a probable explanation,just possible....Chris,don't forget the Royal Marines!..I may be getting involved in 1812 re-enactment this summer.............

[Lechmere]

Yes slightly possible - but the 4th Rifle Brigade were involved in the opening engagements in the campaign, in 1878. It was part of the Peshawar Valley Field Force which was withdrawn to India in the summer of 1879. The Battle of Kandahar was in September 1880.
But...

Other regiments were represented on the march through individuals who, for various reasons, found themselves attached to Roberts' relieving column. These included: 6th Dragoon Guards (1), 10th Hussars (3), 8th Foot (2), 9th Foot (6), 51st Foot (1), 59th Foot (9), 65th Foot (4), 67th Foot (5), 81st Foot (1), Rifle Brigade - 4th Battalion (5), chaplains (2), press (2), postmaster (1), Staff (79), Royal Engineers (14 - some included in staff) and Medical Officers (abt. 30).

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Steve

When Major General Robert Ross led a British expedition to the Chesapeake in August 1814, the British Army regiments that he had under his command were the 4th, 21st, 44th, and 85th Regiments of Foot. But his ADC was Captain Thomas Falls, who was detached from Ross's own regiment, the 20th Regiment of Foot, of which Ross was the commanding colonel; another aide was Captain Harry Smith, of the 95th Rifles; and reportedly he also had along a mounted courier who was a sergeant of the Enniskillen Dragoons.

Best regards

Chris

[Steve S]

There's a very small chance someone could be attached or serving in some other capacity

Just a thought..........The little I've read on British campaigns do seem to show a lot of detached Officers,who I presume took their batmen with them?

[Lechmere]

There's a very small chance someone could be attached or serving in some other capacity

[Steve S]

Silly question..Is it possible an individual could have been at an action,even 'tho his unit wasn't?..I'm afraid my late 19th century military thing is the French Colonial Forces............

[Lechmere]

That’s interesting.
Brown would have had the Afghanistan Medal, Egypt Medal (1882 version with clasp Tel-el-Kebir) and the Khedive’s Star (an Egyptian Medal automatically given to recipients of the Egypt Medal).
He could have got the Kabul to Kandahar Star as well while in Afghanistan.
There wasn’t much in the way for a humble gunner to honour bravery in 1880.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Lechmere

Very interesting medal and clasps. Good pick up from you that the man could not have won both clasps. As you imply, it looks as if someone along the way has "mocked up" the medal with the erroneous clasp to make the medal more attractive to a buyer.

As you may know, I am a military historian (on the War of 1812) and have also written about the suicided Jewish Met policeman P.C. Richard Brown who was a veteran of the Afghan War.

Best regards

Chris

[Lechmere]

I’m a bit of a military history buff and have a reasonable collection of Victorian British militeria, including campaign medals.
One is the Afghanistan Medal which was awarded to participants in the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880.
Six clasps were awarded to go with the medal, for those who participated in six actions.
My medal has two clasps – Kandahar and Ali Musjid.
I bought it at a militaria fair. I knew it was good value for a two clasp Afghanistan War Medal.
Although I have a fairly good knowledge of this campaign I do not know off by heart every battalion involved in every engagement.
Mine was awarded to a rifleman in the 4th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade.
When I got home I checked my books and found that the 4th Rifle Brigade fought at Ali Musjid but not Kandahar.
I looked at the medal and could see that the clasps had been re-soldered. This is not uncommon as they often come loose. I also know that dealers often have spare clasps from broken medals and they fit different ones together to make up more attractive sets.
An original item was adulterated by the addition of something else.
I think of myself as a bit of an expert of the British Army in the Victorian period.
Yet I had been done. Lesson learnt.