Druitt and the Civil Service

[Chris Scott]

I was of course aware that Druitt pursued the dual careers of the law and teaching. It seems, however, the MJD was attempting a third career path, that of the Civil Service. The London Gazette of 25 January 1881 includes the notice below, which is a list of successful candidiates who passed the Preliminary Examination for a situation in the Civil Service and Druitt's name is on the list.
Chris

[Mitch Rowe]

Nice find Chris!
Reminds of the movie Beetleguese where all the suicide victims end up as civil servants. Perhaps Monty is serving as Macnaghtens caseworker as we speak!

[John Savage]

Hi Chris,

A very interesting find, and I am sure with Winchester and Oxford behind him Monty would have no trouble passing the civil service examination.

Interesting to note also in that list is Evelyn Ruggles Brise. I wonder if they knew each other?

Rgds
John

[Robert]

A super find, Chris. With teaching, the law, and ambitions concerning the civil service, it seems Monty just wasn't interested in medicine.

[Mitch Rowe]

A super find, Chris. With teaching, the law, and ambitions concerning the civil service, it seems Monty just wasn't interested in medicine.

OMG..If it is ever found that Druitt attended some medical college somewhere then things will start to get interesting. I couldnt be sure that Police didnt check him out. As it is right now though it seems as if Druitt wasnt much of a suspect and not considered as such by Police. I actually hope that there can finally be evidence found that exonerates him. I actually feel sorry for him because if his problems were truly genetic then he is just another victim of poor community health standards and we are doing him a great dis-service by even suspecting him.
As long as there is no real evidence against him Im going to have to consider him as innocent as a newborn babe.

[aspallek]

Superb find, Chris! I'm surprised I didn't find it in all my research. It just shows you that there is much more out there yet to be found.

As to Evelyn Ruggles-Brise, Montie did play cricket against him. Ruggles-Brise was at Eton circa the same time as JH Lonsdale, Melville Macnaghten, HR Farquharson, et al (perhaps not exactly at the same time). JK Stephen was perhaps a but later.

Would someone please tell me what "civil service" implies in Britain?

[Robert]

Hi Andy

Anyone who, unlike me, is actually a civil servant can correct me here.

The Civil Service comprises the administrators who implement Government policy - from the lowliest clerk to the folks who get the knighthoods, i.e. those who deal with Government ministers face-to-face. They are required to be non-political in their work, and are permanent, as opposed to Governments which come and go. For those with brains/connections, the career can be very lucrative.

Robert

[Monty]

Andy,

Speaking as a Civil servant (hangs head in shame) the job title encompasses many, many, many different guises.

Apart from the usually assumed Goverment Offices and partimentary duties theres Local Authorities and councils, Jobcentres, Revenue and Customs, DWP, The Insolvencey Service, even MI5 work (Yes James Bond is a Civil Servant)...basically anything connected to Goverment. A service to the people.

Its a broad spectrum and, especially in my line of work, rather than give a precise reply to the question 'what do you do for a living then?' I find the reply Civil Service suffices.

However in reality.....

Now where did I park my Aston Martin?

Monty


PS Aint it always the truth. As soon as you post some handsome and younger Devil replies with a short and more concise post. Curse you Robert, and your head of fine wavy black hair !

PPS Quite correct Robert. Im allowed to vote but must remain impartial. After all, he is my big Boss you know.

[Sam Flynn]

For those with brains/connections, the career can be very lucrative.

It was the "Whitehall Mandarin" sort of job, or a career in the Diplomatic Service, which Druitt would doubtless have had in his sights. Then, as now to an extent, such jobs were a magnet for Oxbridge types.

For the record, I am a civil servant of the no-connections/no-brains variety

[Robert]

Hi Monty

Nice to hear from a civil servant. But you should have posted in triplicate.

I believe at the time MJD was taking his preliminaries, the civil service had just been thrown open to anyone of talent, and promotion on merit was gradually being introduced. In fact, before the 1870s I'm not sure if MJD would actually have had to sit an exam at all.

Robert

[Robert]

Hi Gareth

Don't worry, there are a few civil servants out there who are very well-connected.....but their brains aren't.

Robert

[Chris Scott]

Hi guys
Glad it was of interest
In case there are any other names of interest here is the full list

Civil Service Commission January 20, 1881.
THE Civil Service Commissioners hereby give notice, that the Candidates hereinafter named have passed the Preliminary Examination for situations in the Civil Service (Class I), viz.:—
Of the Candidates examined on January 14, 1881
Archer, Charles
Badenoch, George
Bassett, Frank Pickering
Berkeley, Herbert
Bourchier, Henry
Brise, Evelyn John Ruggles
Burrell, Peter George
Clarke, Edward Ashley Walrond
Cohn, John Rougier
Connolly, James Henry
Cook, Edward Tyas
Cox, Homersham
Crowly, Joseph Patrick
Cuthbertson, Norman William
De la Bere, Henry De La Bere
Druitt, Montague John
Ferard, Arthur George
Fiddes, George Vandeleur
Fincham, Francis Warren Xavier
Fraser, James Wilson
Gee, Raymond
Hammond, Francis
Hand, Cecil Sturges
Herington, Stuart
Hoskyns-Abrahall, Bennet
Johnson, Hugh
Jones, John Francis
Kains-Jackson, Charles
La Brooy, Justin Theodore
Lees, George Turbayne
Liebich, Max Alfred Oscar
Lord, Robert Harley
Matthews, George Frederick
Orr, Thomas Morris Hamilton Jones .
Pynn, John Henry.
Scott-Langley, Harley Edward
Stebbing, George Alexander
Thiselton, Herbert Cecil
Tidey, Stuart Alexander
Twinning, Edward Arthur
Webb, Theodore Walter
Wood, Ernest Alex
Worlledge, Edmund Clark
Wright, Arthur Samuel

[Monty]

Robert,

Nice to hear from a civil servant. But you should have posted in triplicate.

As Sam will testify, such practices will soon be a thing of the past. We are being pushed into a paperless enviroment and some will even be working from home.

Apparently the Goverment call it their 'vision'. I had a vision once and it got me banged up at our local asylum for 6 months.

Monty

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Gareth

Don't worry, there are a few civil servants out there who are very well-connected.....but their brains aren't.

True, true...

Odd that you should mention "posting in triplicate" just now. Many moons ago I sat, and passed, the Civil Service Entrance Exam three times and they never let me in! It was a very difficult exam, I can tell you, and when I finally got into the CS (after answering a job centre advert!) I remember looking at my bosses and thinking, "They'd never pass that bloody exam in a million years..."

[Christine]

Robert,



As Sam will testify, such practices will soon be a thing of the past. We are being pushed into a paperless enviroment and some will even be working from home.

Apparently the Goverment call it their 'vision'. I had a vision once and it got me banged up at our local asylum for 6 months.

Monty

They just mean that everything is on the computer so that they can print out triple copies or even more at a moment's notice!