Albert Bachert aka Alfred Charrington

[Gary Barnett]

Jerry,

There's some info on the Dagenham incident here:

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=18823&highlight=Hornchurch

Gary

[Gary Barnett]

There's a historical summary of the effects of this East End Skeleton Army in The War Cry of 1919 here Under the heading Jubilee and Liberty:


Interesting references to the role of the police, particularly Superintendent Arnold.

Yes, really interesting, Debs. I'd never heard of the SA before today.

[Jerry Dunlop]

Thank you Gary and Debs.

I had never heard of the Skeleton Army either until Joshua Rogan started the thread on Casebook. I thank him for bringing it up in the first place. I think it could spawn some interesting discussion the more we learn about it.

[Gary Barnett]

An image of the SA in hot pursuit of their Sally Army foes:

[Jan Bondeson]

There is a chapter on the Skeleton Army in my book 'Strange Victoriana', with some funny illustrations from the Illustrated Police News, of the Skeletons disrupting the Salvation Army processions. I believe there has been at least one scholarly article about the Skeletons.

[Howard Brown]

Charles Jeffries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Jeffries

[Gary Barnett]

Has anyone found a reference to the SA prior to October, 1881? It was certainly active in the West Country by then.

[Gary Barnett]

http://sunnyworthing.co.uk/history/the-skeleton-and-salvation-armies/

[Debra Arif]

As one of the articles above mentions, Bachert seems to have been a member of the Salvation Army in 1882 and the Skeleton Army in 1883. In 1882 he was in court under the name of Albert, rather than Alfred, Charrington, in connection with an assault on himself and other men in the Salvation Army.


Reynolds Newspaper 19th November 1882


London Daily News 5th Dec 1882


Barnet Press 17 November 1883



Albert Charrington was also involved in the troubles at Trafalgar Square in 1886 in connection with the unemployed marches we know that Albert Bachert is named in. Albert Charrington was an engraver, Conservative and supporter of the Fair dealers in teh square that day, as we know Bachert was.


Cambridge Independent Press 14th Feb 1886

[Howard Brown]

Nice finds, Debs !

Probably not relative, but on the 1881 Census in the house Bachert was residing in, there was a Frederick Charraton (28, pipemaker)

https://kpoulin1.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/albert-bachert/

[Sam Flynn]

It seems the 'Skeleton Army' was a country-wide phenomenon.

Which might explain why the skull/crossbones "Ripper" letter refers to, and was posted in, Birmingham. If said letter was somehow connected with the Skeleton Army, of course.

[Debra Arif]

Nice finds, Debs !

Probably not relative, but on the 1881 Census in the house Bachert was residing in, there was a Frederick Charraton (28, pipemaker)
https://kpoulin1.wordpress.com/2009/...lbert-bachert/

It might have something to do with things, How.
In the 1888 local elections there's a Frederick and a A Charrington standing for election for Mile End, A Charrington steps down in favour of Frederick.
There's a lot more to this I think.

[Debra Arif]

One last post for the evening, sorry. The Skeleton Army marched under a banner with a Skull with Crossbones. Their motto was Blood and Guts/Thunder. "'Skeletons' used banners with skulls and crossbones; sometimes there were two coffins and a statement like, “Blood and Thunder” (mocking the Salvation Army's war cry "Blood and Fire") or the three Bs: “Beef”, “Beer” and “Bacca” - again mocking the Salvation Army's three S's - "Soup", "Soap" and "Salvation".[Charles Jeffries Wikipedia]

This is a Ripper letter from October 9, 1888. Notice the Skull and Crossbones, the word BLOOD spelled out, a coffin and a skeleton drawn to the right. Coincidence? Or from Bachert? Bachert was an Art engraver and would be talented with drawing skills I would think. The messy writing doesn't match the somewhat artistic drawings.

Jerry, Bachert was described as an unemployed bank note engraver for a long time.
Regardless of whether or not Bachert was responsible for that letter I think it relates to the Skeleton Army and I think there is considerable artistic, albeit stylistic, ability demonstrated in those sketches. The method of shading and contouring is quite advanced and the perspective is all good on the coffin, which is difficult to pull off.

[Debra Arif]

Yes, really interesting, Debs. I'd never heard of the SA before today.

I have seen JR's thread before but didn't pay much attention until Jerry came up with the Bachert link.

[Sam Flynn]

The method of shading and contouring is quite advanced and the perspective is all good on the coffin, which is difficult to pull off.

The perspective on the coffin bothers me a little, Debs. It works in isolation, but seen together with the other objects, it "rolls" awkwardly from left to right, as if jutting out of the plane of the paper. I think a trained draughtsman would have done a rather better job of the composition.