25 Yrs. In The City Police (P.C. Langdon) Rob Clack

[Howard Brown]

Many thanks to Rob for sharing.....

[Robert Linford]

Thanks Rob.


I have always held strong suspicions regarding Peter Gurney, and the more I think the matter over, the stronger these suspicions become. The truth, however, will never be known, and did indeed at one time lie at the bottom of a vat of clotted cream, if my conjectures be correct.

[Scott Nelson]

Thanks for sharing PC Langdon's reminiscences, Rob.

There are a few bits of information that, if accurate, collaborate Macnaghten's City P.C. near Mitre Square, and Sims' P.C. who some time after the murder was able to identify the man by his height and build; the P.C. stepping sideways to let the man pass (Met. Detective Stephen White's alleged account).

Langdon describes a PC - apparently Watkins - leaving the Square (thought to be sometime after 1:30am) and walking up the street and around to (likely) St. James Place ("a court leading from a street out of Mitre Square") and meeting a man coming towards him about half way down the court (assume about 1:35am). But there were no reports of Watkins encountering anybody after he left the square.

I wonder where this story came from. Confusion with P.C. Harvey? (who didn't enter the St. James Court)

[Robert Linford]

This was part of a series of articles about Langdon in Pearson's. I doubt if he mentioned JTR again but I haven't had time to read them.


According to a local Devon newspaper he wrote a slim volume called "A Devonshire Dumpling and a London Policeman."

[Robert Linford]

Langdon seems to have been born in Somerset but his family moved to Devon when he was young.

[Robert Linford]

Langdon's dad.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CR-FDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT205&lpg=PT205&dq=richard+langdon+astronomer+devon&source=bl&ots=nSV9IEhFIZ&sig=ACfU3U174vvDxK-oMQyF-19Zm8OT8nxJ4A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmh_vqpdDlAhUIXsAKHUOkALUQ6AEwDnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=richard%20langdon%20astronomer%20devon&f=false

[Jose Oranto]

I wonder if this committee that Langdon saw in the alley was the Workmen's

Excellent Rob, as always.

[Gary Barnett]

Thanks Rob.


I have always held strong suspicions regarding Peter Gurney, and the more I think the matter over, the stronger these suspicions become. The truth, however, will never be known, and did indeed at one time lie at the bottom of a vat of clotted cream, if my conjectures be correct.

Robert can still make me laugh.

Personally, I’ve always had my doubts about Harry Hawke.

[Jose Oranto]

I wonder if this committee that Langdon saw in the alley was the Workmen's

Excellent Rob, as always.

What committee would be patrolling the City?

This is part of the report on the second meeting that was held in Aldgate to create the Workmen's Vigilance Committee and whose president, at first, would have been Mr. Phillips, C.C., representative of the Aldgate district.

Morning Advertiser, October 9, 1888.

... After some further observations by other speakers, the resolution was carried. Mr. Kelly said they had arranged already for the patrol of 57 men. The committee had paid about £17 out of their own pockets. The committee calculated that they could put 70 men on the streets at night for a fortnight or three weeks for £150. They would require to cover not only Whitechapel, but also Mile end, the dicks, Bethnal green, and the death-traps of Shadwell. The members of the vigilance organization would wear a distinctive mark and use a pass word by which they would be known to the police and to each other. The proceedings then terminated, and the committee held a private meeting to decide upon the details of future work.