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PC EDWARD WATKINS (881 – CITY POLICE)
Was he the Ripper? Possible new evidence.
Hello folks, I’m Lynsey from Hemel Hempstead. My father is Chas aged 75, also from Hemel. Whilst surfing the web at Christmas we came across @Jack the Ripper@ page and PC Edward Watkins interest. Chas was very interested in the Watkins for the reasons related later.
Chas is completely Laptop/Computer illiterate and has asked me to tell his most interesting story and follows thus:
‘I am 75 years of age but at the tail end of the 1939-1945 war, when a young rogue of 10-11, myself and two other pals were playing in a bomb damaged house in a road off Brick Lane, Whitechapel. On this particular day we had lit a bonfire in an old dustbin in the back yard of this bomb damaged house. The complete back of the house had been blown away exposing the upstairs floor level and the side view of the stairs. As the cry for “any more wood” went up for the fire, two of us dived into the derelict house to scavenge any burnable material. I turned my attention to damaged floor boards under the staircase. I could see holed and splintered woodwork of what was left of the under stairs cupboard. I began pulling at the damaged floorboards and after removing just a couple of boards noticed a cardboard box complete with lid. I threw down the firewood I had just collected and proceeded to remove the box from under the edge of the floorboards. The lid was slightly damaged but in picking up the box noticed it was crumbling with decay at one end where it had been stood on the earthen floor below the floorboards. At this point I noticed it was heavy and something was rattling around inside. The next instance I had the lid off and in the same instance my two mates had leapt to my side and were shouting “ What is it, what is it, show us and share it” This was the first time I held the contents. In the box was two knives and one truncheon. The first knife I would describe as a butchers knife with a blade about 2” wide and 14” to 16” long with a wooden handle bound with a type of string a butcher would use to tie up a joint of meat. The second knife I would describe as a dagger, the type a boy scout would wear down his sock or belt and about 9” long. The third and I think the most interesting was a truncheon 18” long made of unpolished plain wood. At this point I decided to share out the booty but having been forbidden to own a knife or catapult by my parents I decided to keep the truncheon for myself. (On arriving home my parents immediately confiscated it the truncheon and it was put on top of the wardrobe in their bedroom and used once a year for breaking walnuts at Christmas until I got married and it was passed back to me and has been put to the same use till this very day!)
My two mates had to toss for the two knives and became gloating owners of their knives for a short time until they started to argue who had the best as one was rusty in places as was the other but to a lesser degree. In all the excitement I noticed the box had once held a doll and had been made somewhere in Germany according to the label. The box which was approx 18”x18”x6” was then dispatched to the fire along with the splintered floorboards.
Now to my truncheon - The truncheon is 18” long and made of unpolished wood, bored out at the work end and filled with lead. Now to my point along one side of it is embossed: PC 881 CITY POLICE and on the other side EDWARD WATKINS.
Now, Last year whilst watching a Ripper film it mentioned PC Edward Watkins as the constable who found Mary Eddow’s body. At first I could not believe what I had just heard, the reason being I have in my possession for 64 years a truncheon which is embossed as above.
Around this time the Museum of London had a Jack the Ripper exhibition and I loaned the truncheon to them who sent it to the London Police Museum who in turn returned it with comments “This was not a London Police issue truncheon” and apparently had no interest. Now what interests me is:
Watkins found Mary Eddow’s body near the Brick Lane area where I found the knives
What was City Police doing in Whitechapel off his beat area
Watkins lived in Hamilton Buildings near to where the knives etc were found
With view to Watkins being caught in an indecent act on duty, why was he not a suspect.
Why were these weapons hidden so conveniently to the murder area.
I am sure there will now be many more questions to be answered!
Hoping this experience is of interest to your Ripper enthusiasts .'
Chas Wilson
Hemel Hempstead
Was he the Ripper? Possible new evidence.
Hello folks, I’m Lynsey from Hemel Hempstead. My father is Chas aged 75, also from Hemel. Whilst surfing the web at Christmas we came across @Jack the Ripper@ page and PC Edward Watkins interest. Chas was very interested in the Watkins for the reasons related later.
Chas is completely Laptop/Computer illiterate and has asked me to tell his most interesting story and follows thus:
‘I am 75 years of age but at the tail end of the 1939-1945 war, when a young rogue of 10-11, myself and two other pals were playing in a bomb damaged house in a road off Brick Lane, Whitechapel. On this particular day we had lit a bonfire in an old dustbin in the back yard of this bomb damaged house. The complete back of the house had been blown away exposing the upstairs floor level and the side view of the stairs. As the cry for “any more wood” went up for the fire, two of us dived into the derelict house to scavenge any burnable material. I turned my attention to damaged floor boards under the staircase. I could see holed and splintered woodwork of what was left of the under stairs cupboard. I began pulling at the damaged floorboards and after removing just a couple of boards noticed a cardboard box complete with lid. I threw down the firewood I had just collected and proceeded to remove the box from under the edge of the floorboards. The lid was slightly damaged but in picking up the box noticed it was crumbling with decay at one end where it had been stood on the earthen floor below the floorboards. At this point I noticed it was heavy and something was rattling around inside. The next instance I had the lid off and in the same instance my two mates had leapt to my side and were shouting “ What is it, what is it, show us and share it” This was the first time I held the contents. In the box was two knives and one truncheon. The first knife I would describe as a butchers knife with a blade about 2” wide and 14” to 16” long with a wooden handle bound with a type of string a butcher would use to tie up a joint of meat. The second knife I would describe as a dagger, the type a boy scout would wear down his sock or belt and about 9” long. The third and I think the most interesting was a truncheon 18” long made of unpolished plain wood. At this point I decided to share out the booty but having been forbidden to own a knife or catapult by my parents I decided to keep the truncheon for myself. (On arriving home my parents immediately confiscated it the truncheon and it was put on top of the wardrobe in their bedroom and used once a year for breaking walnuts at Christmas until I got married and it was passed back to me and has been put to the same use till this very day!)
My two mates had to toss for the two knives and became gloating owners of their knives for a short time until they started to argue who had the best as one was rusty in places as was the other but to a lesser degree. In all the excitement I noticed the box had once held a doll and had been made somewhere in Germany according to the label. The box which was approx 18”x18”x6” was then dispatched to the fire along with the splintered floorboards.
Now to my truncheon - The truncheon is 18” long and made of unpolished wood, bored out at the work end and filled with lead. Now to my point along one side of it is embossed: PC 881 CITY POLICE and on the other side EDWARD WATKINS.
Now, Last year whilst watching a Ripper film it mentioned PC Edward Watkins as the constable who found Mary Eddow’s body. At first I could not believe what I had just heard, the reason being I have in my possession for 64 years a truncheon which is embossed as above.
Around this time the Museum of London had a Jack the Ripper exhibition and I loaned the truncheon to them who sent it to the London Police Museum who in turn returned it with comments “This was not a London Police issue truncheon” and apparently had no interest. Now what interests me is:
Watkins found Mary Eddow’s body near the Brick Lane area where I found the knives
What was City Police doing in Whitechapel off his beat area
Watkins lived in Hamilton Buildings near to where the knives etc were found
With view to Watkins being caught in an indecent act on duty, why was he not a suspect.
Why were these weapons hidden so conveniently to the murder area.
I am sure there will now be many more questions to be answered!
Hoping this experience is of interest to your Ripper enthusiasts .'
Chas Wilson
Hemel Hempstead
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