Hutchinson, George- YOUR MEMORY TEST

[Versa]

1. Can you remember what you did today?

2. Can you remember what you did yesterday?

3 Can you remember what you did the day before yesterday?

4 And the day before that?

5 And the Day before that?



I can.... My mum can.... My daughters dad can.... My best friend can....

Why would anyone suppose that George Hutchinson couldnt???

[The Grave Maurice]

I was with you up to "the day before yesterday", Versa, then I became a bit vague. Maybe George was like me.

[babybird67]

even better Versa...

would you be able to remember what you were doing the day of a Lord Mayor's show, when it co-incided with the brutal murder and mutilations of a friend of three year's standing who you had seen and spoken to the very night of her murder, after having walked all the way back from Romford and spent the rest of the night walking about in bad weather?

I think the possibility of forgetting those things is pretty slim a mere three or four days later.

[Fisherman]

Versa:

"1. Can you remember what you did today?

2. Can you remember what you did yesterday?

3 Can you remember what you did the day before yesterday?

4 And the day before that?

5 And the Day before that?

I can.... My mum can.... My daughters dad can.... My best friend can....

Why would anyone suppose that George Hutchinson couldnt???"

Are you living the kind of life Hutchinson probably lived? A vagabonding life, taking on whatever job there was, walking from the one odd job to the other, being deprived of sleep, one day here, the next there, trying to make ends meet?
Not that you have to do so, Versa - the days float together for many people. It is a very, very common thing. And living the out-of-steady-work eastender´s life in 1888 would not have helped the least bit.

The best,
Fisherman

[Phil H]

In my experience, memory can be a tricksy thing.

I can have almost photographic recall of something that happened 40 years ago, and a very hazy recollection of yesterday or the day before.

I might know broadly what i did last week - even without consulting a diary - but might well not recall if I saw a colleague on a particular day, or whether they were in or out of the office.

If there is some reference point - a key or dramatic event - that can help. For instance I can remember vividly quite a lot of 11 September 2001 (or 9/11 I suppose) AFTER we heard of the plane crashing into the twin towers in mid-afternoon UK time. I can recall conversations that afternoon almost word for word, where people were, and my thoughts. But I couldn't tell you a thing about the morning - just another day in the office.

I'd tend to agree with Fisherman that a vagabond life is probably one in which time flows past most days but I have no way of knowing. It could be that high-points stand out more vividly.

Phil

[Rubyretro]

I have to agree with babybird.

Whilst Fisherman and Phil are quite correct, Hutchinson had some fairly momentous out-of-the-ordinary events to help him fix 'time'. I'd even add
market day in Petticoat Lane.

He doesn't come over in the Press, nor in his Police statement as a dippy dreamer -he seems rather to be very sure of himself.

I can't believe that he'd get his days mixed up over this event.

What's more he MUST (Fish ! -"MUST" !) have heard about MJK's murder mere hours after it occurred, since he was lodging in such close proximity. Since Fish pointed out the monotony and
stress of Hutch's everyday life, the 'excitement' of such an unusual murder -of a friend of his !-
can hardly have escaped him.

[lynn cates]

me too

Hello Phil

"I can have almost photographic recall of something that happened 40 years ago, and a very hazy recollection of yesterday or the day before."

Precisely. Describes me too. I think it is a function of old age.

Cheers.
LC

[Sally]

Agree with Babybird

Too many extraordinary events to fix the day, as discussed at some length in the 'Wrong Night' thread.

I tried the memory test. I got back to last Thursday without too much trouble; it got a bit hazy after that. I can't remember without thinking about it what I did a couple of weeks ago.

[babybird67]

you also have to factor in...

the fact that Hutchinson stated he followed Mary with Astrakhan precisely because he was suspicious for some reason...so his attention was drawn to her and he spent a lengthy vigil monitoring the situation. Of his own volition.

Something must have struck him as out of the ordinary for him to do this.

For him then to confuse the day this happened, a mere few days after experiencing it, doesn't make sense.

[richardnunweek]

Hi,
My memory goes back to around 830 pm one weekday night.. I fail on the year I estimate 1973-4, I was sitting on my Aunts sofa alone, listening to the radio , feeling rather exited that I was listening to a programme about Hutchinsons statement, I remember that the broadcast lasted until 840pm, and approx two thirds into the broadcast, it gave a audio from the son of the witness Hutchinson.
As that was the same story as told by the late Reg Hutchinson, there can be little doubt that he took part in that broadcast in one way or another.
My memory does not fail me there it is implanted forever.
Does that prove anything... to me Yes.. to others No , but as we are talking about memory,I could not resist repeating my party piece.
Regards Richard.

[Versa]

The point that it makes is that very few of us are unable to recall 3 days back and most of us can go back considerably further. I'm 38 and while I do forget to do things from time to time I am quite able to recall quite boring days with very little effort.

Even living a vagabond lifestyle I'm sure a 22-28yr old would be able to clearly recall 3 days back ESPECIALLY when that day included a very long walk and the brutal murder of an acquaintance.

[Fisherman]

Ruby:

"What's more he MUST (Fish ! -"MUST" !) have heard about MJK's murder mere hours after it occurred, since he was lodging in such close proximity."

Then I must have heard what was said in the town of Helsingborg this morning too, since I live here. Trouble is, Ruby, that I WORK sixty kilometres away, in Malmö, which is why I never hear the talk of Helsingborg town in the mornings.

It is no stranger than this - but you constantly fail to realize it, instead claiming a "must" that is completely ludicruous. Just saying, Ruby.

Pedagogically yours,
Fisherman

[Fisherman]

Versa:

"Even living a vagabond lifestyle I'm sure a 22-28yr old would be able to clearly recall 3 days back ESPECIALLY when that day included a very long walk and the brutal murder of an acquaintance."

I´m sure that some would, yes. But I am equally certain that not ALL people will be get it right.

And that is not exactly rocket science.

The best,
Fisherman

[Versa]

I´m sure that some would, yes. But I am equally certain that not ALL people will be get it right.

And that is not exactly rocket science.

The best,
Fisherman

How far back did you get?

[Fisherman]

Versa:

"How far back did you get?"

If you ask me how far back I can nail all the things I have done on a day, I would say that I cannot do so a single day back. If you ask me how far back I can remember isolated events and things, I can do so decades back in time.

And that´s the snag.

The best,
Fisherman