Belanger Brian - Watson: My Life

Watson: My Life

David Ruffle

This edition published in 2018

Copyright 2018 David Ruffle

The right of David Ruffle to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not of MX Publishing.

MX Publishing

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London, N11 3GX

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Cover layout and construction by

Brian Belanger

Also by David Ruffle

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror (expanded 2nd Edition)

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Legacy

Holmes and Watson: End Peace

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials

The Abyss (A Journey with Jack the Ripper)

A Twist of Lyme

Sherlock Holmes: The Lyme Regis Trilogy (Illustrated Omnibus Edition)

Another Twist of Lyme

A Further Twist of Lyme

Holmes and Watson: An American Adventure

The Gondolier and the Russian Countess

Holmes and Watson: An Evening in Baker Street

Sherlock Holmes and the Scarborough Affair (with Gill Stammers)

For Children

Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman (illustrated by Rikey Austin)

As editor and contributor

Tales from the Strangers Room (Vol.1)

Tales from the Strangers Room (Vol. 2)

Tales from the Strangers Room (Vol.3)

Preface

Being seen locally as a Sherlock Holmes expert, even though its not something I have ever claimed to be, often results in many questions aimed my way on various aspects of Holmess life. I seem to be the go to man for such enquiries. Where did Holmes retire to? When did he die? Did Holmes and Watson ever fall out? Did Holmess hives ever produce honey? You get the idea. On occasion, I am given press cuttings about Holmes or even books which people no longer have a use for, but feel they would best enhance my Sherlock Holmes collection such as it is.

I was unprepared however for what I received recently over the shop counter; old biscuit tins! Sadly, they were devoid of biscuits or indeed any form of edible treat. The actual content was comprised of several cylinders, neatly labelled with various dates from March 1936 to July the same year. A separate piece of paper inside the last tin I opened bore the legend: Doctor John H Watson with a date of August the 23 rd 1936. It was an Alice Sefton who had donated these tins to me and thought, rightly so, that the contents would be of great interest to me. She explained that her grandfather, Alfred Huntley, had, at the beginning of the twentieth century acted as an agent for the Edison Company, particularly involved with the marketing of their dictation machines. Possessed of both a literary bent and an inquisitive nature he began to prepare booklets and pamphlets based on the memoirs of those whom today we would call celebrities. His method was simplicity itself. Each of his chosen subjects would be left a dictation machine and a supply of wax cylinders. They were simply invited to talk about their lives, and once collected by Huntley, he would edit and then publish. He died in October 1936 after a short illness. Alice Sefton thought that due to the absence of any other cylinders in the possession of her family that these recordings were the last to be collected by her grandfather and that he fell ill before he could begin the task of editing Watsons words. But, are they Watsons words? Its impossible to be sure. After I had digitally formatted the tapes which certainly tidied up the sound, relieving it of the crackles and fizzes that disfigured it, I was left with a warm, strong although sometimes hesitant voice which certainly convinced me they were the words of a man in his eighties. I cannot go further than that. Perhaps like Watson, I am too timid in my inferences! Alice Sefton, two weeks later, produced some correspondence between her grandfather and Watson revealing something of Watsons humility. These I have reproduced here. Other than that, what you will read are Watsons own words, telling his story through a medium that may well have been foreign to him. Unlike Alfred Huntley I have decided against editing this account and have transcribed Watsons words exactly as they were when he spoke into Huntleys dictation machine just over eighty years ago.

David Ruffle Lyme Regis 2017

Dear Doctor Watson,

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Alfred Huntley. I do not flatter myself that you may have heard of me, but I am tolerably well known in my field. For several years now, I have been publishing small memoirs of those people who are or have been in the public eye. This I do by making recordings of my chosen subjects discoursing on their lives which I collate, edit judiciously if need be and then produce in booklet or pamphlet form depending on their size.

I was planning to interview your old friend, Sherlock Holmes before his untimely death and you have my condolences, sir. I then thought that you would be an ideal replacement if you like. I dont mean to imply that you are in any way second-best. Tell me, would it be a project you could see yourself participating in?

I look forward very much to your reply,

Yours sincerely,

Alfred Huntley.

Dear Mr Huntley,

I thank you for your recent letter which I have to admit did intrigue, and I thank you very much for your offered condolences. I am none too sure that anyone would care to hear about the story of my life. For most people, I am known as Sherlock Holmess friend and biographer and my life outside of that twenty years or so would have nothing to offer by way of comparative excitement. Not that I feel I havent lived a full life, but how much of it would be of interest to the general public I cannot tell. However, in spite of my doubts and misgivings I am intrigued enough to be eager to know more.

How do we proceed?

Yours,

John H. Watson

Dear Doctor Watson,

Thank for your speedy reply. I propose to call upon you on a day you deem convenient and bring with me the simple apparatus which I am sure you will find easy to operate. Once having shown you how the system works I will leave everything with you. There will be no necessity to contact me again, bar there being a problem with the equipment, until you feel you have said all you need to say. Once you reach that point all you need to do is write me a letter to that effect and I will call and collect your full cylinders.

Yours etc,

Alfred Huntley

Dear Mr Huntley,

That all seems most satisfactory. Would you care to call at ten o clock on the morning Wednesday 7 th March? My housekeeper, Mrs Brownlow, makes a perfect cup of tea and sublime shortbread biscuits.

Yours,

John H. Watson

Cylinder 1

Ahem, I scarcely know where to start. Mr Huntley has given me a set of guidelines on how to set about it, but I am still beset by doubts. Where do I begin? At the very beginning? My life with Holmes? I have made some notes, let me see, where are they? Hm... er... my decision is made, I will travel back in time as it were long, long before my association with Sherlock Holmes. I... I was born in Hexham in Northumberland in the autumn of 1854. My father, Henry was a glover by profession and very well respected in the area. I suppose he did moderately well for I cannot recall having to go without anything. There was stiff competition in Hexham, it was a town widely known for its glove-making industry, although less so by the time of my birth. The skills he used were the same skills that proved his downfall for his sight suffered from all the intricate close-up work he had to do. All the gloves, known as Hexham Tans were made by hand. One of the earliest memories I have is of seeing my father at work in his small, aroma-filled workshop. His gnarled yet delicate hands making a simple, running stitch with a glovers needle which had a sharpened, triangular point designed to penetrate the thin sheepskin. The gloves were destined to be mostly imported to the North of Europe, America and eventually Australia. I remember packing a pair when I sailed to Ballarat, but I get ahead of myself.