John J Eddleston - Foul Deeds in Kensington and Chelsea

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First Published in Great Britain in 2010 by

Wharncliffe Local History

an imprint of

Pen and Sword Books Limited ,

47 Church Street, Barnsley ,

South Yorkshire. S70 2AS

Copyright John J Eddleston, 2010

ISBN: 978 184563 128 4

eISBN: 978 178303 750 6

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Contents

Introduction

T he upmarket areas of Kensington and Chelsea have seen some fascinating stories, from the darker side of life.

Amongst the most famous cases of all are those of John George Haigh, who claimed his first victims in the area, and Ronald True, the upper-class killer who managed to escape the noose, to a massive public outcry. There are, however, lesser known, but equally fascinating cases.

There is, for example, the murder of Catherine Elmes, a crime for which John Sharpe confessed, later withdrawing his statement, leaving the case unsolved; or the story of Joseph OSullivan and Reginald Dunne, who committed a political assassination; or Dennis Muldowney, a man who took the life of a war heroine.

The area set some unique records in the field of true crime. Kenneth Gilbert and Ian Grant, for example, killed in the area and were the last men ever hanged at the same establishment, at the same time, for the same crime. Then there is Guenther Podola, the last man ever hanged for the murder of a policeman.

These areas of London are, perhaps, amongst the most luxurious areas of the modern city, but those well-kept streets have much more sinister tales to tell.

I would like to offer my thanks to Yvonne, my wife, who assisted with the research for this volume, proof read every single chapter and supported me throughout. I would also like to thank the staff of The National Archives at Kew. It is always a pleasure to work there and without their assistance, the research for books such as this would be much more difficult.

Acknowledgements

All references are from The National Archives:

HO 64/3/130: Catherine Elmes

CRIM 1/29/6: James White

CRIM 1/37/1: Owen Leonard

CRIM 1/37/6: John Noble

CRIM 1/38/3: Walter Hosler

HO 144/543/A54575: Walter Hosler

CRIM 1/41/4: Reginald Saunderson

CRIM 1/108/7: Alice Jane Money

CRIM 1/113/5: Madan Lal Dhingra

MEPO 3/2688: Frances Buxton

CRIM 1/200/4: Ronald True

DPP 1/71: Ronald True

HO 45/25421: Ronald True

HO 144/2568: Ronald True

MEPO 3/1572: Ronald True

CRIM 1/748: George Frank Harvey

DPP 2/238: George Frank Harvey

HO 144/19912: George Frank Harvey

HO 144/19913: George Frank Harvey

MEPO 3/1696: George Frank Harvey

DPP 2/900: Harold Dorian Trevor

DPP 2/949: Harold Dorian Trevor

HO 144/21586: Harold Dorian Trevor

MEPO 3/2194: Harold Dorian Trevor

PCOM 9/2099: Harold Dorian Trevor

CRIM 1/1928: George Cyril Epton

DPP 2/1738: George Cyril Epton

DPP 2/1755: George Cyril Epton

MEPO 3/3007: George Cyril Epton

PCOM 8/2136: George Cyril Epton

CRIM 1/1836: Thomas John Ley and Lawrence John Smith

DPP 2/1579: Ley and Smith

DPP 2/1609: Ley and Smith

DPP 2/1840: John George Haigh

HO 45/23633: John George Haigh

HO 45/23634: John George Haigh

MEPO 3/3128: John George Haigh

PCOM 9/818: John George Haigh

CRIM 1/2252: Dennis George Muldowney

DPP 2/2169: Dennis George Muldowney

PCOM 9/1634: Dennis George Muldowney

CRIM 1/2428: Kenneth Gilbert & Ian Arthur Grant

DPP 2/2336: Gilbert and Grant

MEPO 2/9543: Gilbert and Grant

CRIM 1/3246: Guenther Fritz Erwin Podola

DPP 2/2979: Guenther Podola

HO 291/245: Guenther Podola

MEPO 2/9896: Guenther Podola

CRIM 1/4013: Marilyne Anne Bain

DPP 2/3535: Marilyne Anne Bain

CRIM 1/4885: Robert Lipman

DPP 2/4443: Robert Lipman

Chapter 1

Francis Losch

1818

F rancis Losch was a native of Luxembourg and, at the age of seventeen, had joined the Austrian Army. Having served his adopted country with credit, he then moved to England and joined the 3rd Battalion of the 60th Regiment of Foot, stationed in the West Indies. Finally, after many years of military service, he retired from the army, and married a much younger woman, Mary Ann, who went by the name of Nance. Losch then settled down at 7 Jews Row, Sloane Street, as a Chelsea Pensioner.