Dick Kirby - The Guvnors: Ten of Scotland Yards Greatest Detectives

First Published in Great Britain in 2010 by
Wharncliffe True Crime
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Barnsley
South Yorkshire
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Copyright Dick Kirby 2010

ISBN 978 1 84563 135 2
ePub ISBN: 9781848849723
PRC ISBN: 9781848849730

The right of Dick Kirby to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.

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This book is dedicated to all
Metropolitan Police CID Officers
this is what it was like.

And to Ann
Til the stars fade from above.

The great multitude of people who love detectives and detective stories will be enthralled by Dick Kirbys identification of some of the greatest detectives who ever served at Scotland Yard.

He has selected his subjects with obvious care and after much research and the result is an account of some of the very best detectives ever to grace The Yard.

I have said many times, and publicly, that the reputation Scotland Yard enjoys internationally was never established by its employment of new policing methods or the introduction of imaginative road management schemes. It was forged by the hard work, dedication, and incredible successes of the Criminal Investigation Department and by the devotion and commitment of its officers.

The ten described are outstanding examples of the kind of men who laid down the principles and working practices for the various departments and by their own dedication and qualities of leadership ensured their success.

These were men who founded great organisations, made important and far reaching decisions and led individuals, groups and finally extensive squads of men and women to breathtaking accomplishments.

One of the contributors, who was a very senior officer himself, describing one of the subjects suggests, He was just one of three officers I knew whose men would follow him blindly.

I am satisfied that this ability applies to everyone of those portrayed in these pages. It was one of those attributes which made up each of their characters. It was accepted by men of that calibre as being a basic requisite and whilst they may have been aware of this quality it was gained without effort and came to them as naturally as breathing or saying Good Morning.

Each of them was successful in differing ways but without exception they all achieved the required result when the odds were against them and a result was demanded. When a particular crime resulted in screaming headlines and extensive publicity, these detectives used their extensive experience, powers of leadership and natural abilities to achieve the necessary result. They were heroes at a time when heroes were needed. Each has an incredible and distinctive record which will never be challenged.

It may come as a surprise to learn that some of these great detectives were totally unlike their counterparts portrayed today in books or on television. It should be remembered that times were different when they were young policemen. It may have been fortuitous to settle some matters with their fists in those days or to disrupt the expectations of a trainload of pickpockets by warning them off the turf. That was the way the law was expected to be enforced in those days.

I enjoyed the good fortune of knowing many of them and working with some. I still feel shivers up and down my spine when I read their history and recall those times I met them and what an impression they made upon me as a young budding detective. Great men they were, inspiring men who could lead you to believe it was easy to perform miracles and you were the man to do it. Grateful men. Full of praise for a job well done. Concerned for individuals and interested in their ambition and progress. Inspiring men who gave you the courage to believe you may be able to follow their example at some time in your future. Exceptional men who were modest in their accomplishments.

One thing is for sure, their like will never be seen again. The opposition to the personality culture which sought to play down the achievements of officers who began to distinguish themselves, the abolition of the career detective and the change in police procedures with regard to the investigation of major crimes have taken care of that.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I am sure anyone who wonders who the Big Five were, how the Flying Squad began or how some of those famous grisly murders were successfully investigated will find it equally interesting.

Incidentally, Dick Kirby is right about the term Guvnor. I always saw it as a term that acknowledged achievement and a term of affection and respect. I left the Met 40 years ago and still get the occasional letter, e-mail or phone call, or I meet some of my ex colleagues usually at funerals these days. When they use the soubriquet I still get a warm feeling of pride and satisfaction.

Leonard Nipper Read Q.P.M

First and foremost, my thanks go to Steve Earl from the Metropolitan Police Museum, who has worked so hard on my behalf that if it were not for him it is fair to say that this book would never have been written. Running him a close second was the late Maggie Bird from the Metropolitan Police Records Management Branch, who was enormously helpful. My thanks to the Metropolitan Police Museum for providing some of the photographs; every effort has been made to contact copyright holders. The author and the publishers apologise for any inadvertent omissions. Chris Forester, the editor of The Peeler and other periodicals has been a tower of strength over the years. From the Metropolitan Police Library came the odd person who could not be bothered to assist; however, Mary Clucas, Ellie Haynes and Suzanna Parry were not amongst them, so my thanks to them for their kindness and assistance. I was overwhelmed by the response from the former CID officers who contacted me; the fact that they did was because Bob Fenton QGM, the honorary secretary of the Ex-CID Officers Association orchestrated it, and I am most grateful to him for doing so. Robin Gillis and Ken Stone, formerly of the Metropolitan Police Museum and Archives Section have both been exceedingly kind and helpful, as has Alan Moss. My son-in-law, Steve Cowper helped enormously with the computer side as did my other son-in-law, Rich Jerreat; my thanks to them both.

Over the years, a number of people either assisted me considerably with my research or wrote or spoke to me with some wonderful stories about the men who appear in this book. In alphabetical order, they are: Philip Atkins, Brian Baister QPM, MA, the late Bill Best QPM, Trevor Binnington, Peter Binstead, the late Ernie Bond OBE, QPM, Kenny Bowerman GM, Doug Bowles, the late Terry Brown GM, Tony Bruce, Ron Chapman, Paul De Langhe, Chris Dodkin MBE, Anne Douglas, Kenneth Edney, Peter Elston, Steve Engel, Donald Fabian, Joyce Fabian, Michael Fabian, Paul Fabian, the late Ron Goodall, Martin Gosling MBE, Mick Gray, Rudi Gross, Joy Guest, the late Bob Higgins, Mike Hoare MBE, Rosemary Holman, Graham Howard, John Jones, the late Charles Kirby, Mark Kirby, the late Fred Lambert, Roger Lane, John Legge, Peter Legge, John Lewis, John Loader, Billy Milne, Julie Milstead, the late Terry OConnell QPM, Gerry ODonoghue, Hugh Parker, Geoff Parratt, Arthur Phillips, the late George Price, David Pritchard, Leonard Nipper Read QPM, Bob Robinson, George Sharp, Laurie Sherwood QPM, LLB, John Simmonds, Daphne Skillern QPM, Arthur Stevens, John Swain QPM, Michael Taylor QPM, the late Lou van Dyke, John Walsh, John Dick West, Peter Westacott and John Woodhouse.