Sgt. Thick

[A.P. Wolf]

Just a little one from the new OB trials.
I have often seen it said that Sgt Thick was known as 'Johnny Upright' or something similar.
There was in fact a 'Sgt. Upright' working the Whitechapel beat at the same time as Sgt Thick.

[Dougie]

Im not trying to be clever here AP but i think the name was thicke,unless we are talking about different people.
regards
p.s how do you post those newspaper cuttings? ive posted one but i think it was luck more than judgement,ive tried with another cutting but i get red arrows and IMGs by side of them. be obliged if you could advise.

[Paul]

Just a little one from the new OB trials.
I have often seen it said that Sgt Thick was known as 'Johnny Upright' or something similar.
There was in fact a 'Sgt. Upright' working the Whitechapel beat at the same time as Sgt Thick.

A.P.,
The East London Observer (15 September 1888) referred to, 'Detective-sergeant Wm. Thicke, otherwise known as "Johnny Upright", who "flashily" attired in a suit of loud checks, was a fresh-coloured, youngish-looking man, with dark hair and a heavy, drooping brown moustache.'

Dew, in I Caught Crippen refers to him: 'A sergeant named Thick, who was a holy terror to the local law-breakers, was known as “Johnny Upright “, because he was very upright both in his walk and in his methods.'

He was referred to by this nickname in People of the Abyss by Jack London. Chapter Two is called 'JOHNNY UPRIGHT' and it begins: 'I shall not give you the address of Johnny Upright. Let it suffice that he lives in the most respectable street in the East End--a street that would be considered very mean in America, but a veritable oasis in the desert of East London. It is surrounded on every side by close-packed squalor and streets jammed by a young and vile and dirty generation; but its own pavements are comparatively
bare of the children who have no other place to play, while it has an air of desertion, so few are the people that come and go.'

[Kim Ross]

Gday. I have read about Sgt Thicke being referred to as 'Upright' by the villains (and not so villainous) on the manor.

Cheers

[Debra Arif]

There was also a retirement piece on Thicke called "Upright John's career" in Lloyd's weekly April 30 1893, they gave a story about the origins of the name.

[Paul]

There was also a retirement piece on Thicke called "Upright John's career" in Lloyd's weekly April 30 1893, they gave a story about the origins of the name.

Hi Debra. Any chance of posting it?

[Debra Arif]

Hi Paul, I posted it to casebook before the crash, I was just looking to see if I still had in on my compter....and I have.

http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/debbiearifsgtthick.jpg