Incidents, Accidents & Crime

The Gloucester Gaol Escapade of 1906

On the evening of Thursday 25^th October, five convicts from London broke out
of Gloucester Prison and ran to the Severn side, a distance of about a hundred yards.
There they commandeered Henry Bubb a local fisherman, and his boat,
and made him row them across the river to the Castle Meadow,
whereby they escaped for a time.

A massive man hunt commenced along the river Severn, stretching down South
along the River bordering the Forest of Dean. There Inspector Seabright
from the Lydney Police Station led his
officers on the man hunt, after extensive searching of barns, outbuildings and sheds,
the escaped convicts were tracked down to their hideout near Lydney. Pc 327 Wiltshire
climbed up on a rick (a structure built to protect straw stacks from the weather),
and found the men hiding,
with the assistance of Pc 343 Hazell they were handcuffed and detained.

The convicts were later escorted back up to Gloucester Gaol, and the three Policemen
were commended by the Chief Constable, Admiral Christian,
for their prompt and effective actions.

Gloucester Gaol Escape 25-10-1906 (fisherman Henry Bubb in his boat)

Henry Bubb in his fishing boat used by the convicts


Insp Hubert Seabright	Pc 343 John Hazell	Pc 327 Edward Wiltshire

Cheltenham Attempted Murder Case, 1911

William George Minty broke into a shop (known locally as the swiss cottage)
in Portland Street, Cheltenham. Once inside a struggle started between him
and a Mr Ashley James Gardiner, and as a result Mr Gardiner received serious injuries.
Minty was charged with his attempted murder and remanded to Gloucester assizes.
The suspect sat far left at the Cheltenham 'Midland Railway' Station, being escorted to
Gloucester by Detective Constable Frank Hallett.
The Portland Street shop is shown below with the glass broken out of the front door,
and a smashed side window.

Arson arrests in Cheltenham, December 1912

On the morning of Sunday 21st December 1912 a fire broke out at Alstone Lawn,
an empty mansion standing in the Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, surrounded by
some acres of its own land. The Fire Brigade was promptly called and the place was
almost miraculously saved, the fire having well got hold.
Two unknown suffragettes were arrested the same morning,
and were remanded at the Police Court on the Monday.
Their boots and stockings, which were soaked in paraffin, were taken from them,
and they absolutely refused to put others on.
The photo shows them being taken from Cheltenham Police Station to Worcester Gaol
by Inspector John Whyton and Detective Ernest Towell, the foremost of whom
is carrying the shoes and stockings. The women refused to put their hair up,
and they went barefoot to Worcester.

Dc 379 Ernest Towell (L) and Insp John Whyton (R) with two arson suspects i

Cheltenham Assault Case, September 1920

The accused woman, Miss Elizabeth Ann Price (in centre),
charged with the attempted murder of Miss Ada Wintle,
being escorted from the G.W.R. Station by Detective Sergeant Harold Illes
and a Policewoman.
She was received in custody from escorting Police from Newnham on Severn.

Disorderly Dockers in Gloucester, May 1926

Disorderly dock workers being marched to Police Court in Gloucester, following their
actions that prevented the Hempstead bridge to operate.
Each were sentenced to 14 days hard labour, under the Emergency Act.

The Cheltenham Double Death Tragedy, October 1926

On 8th October 1926 Police discovered two bodies in the ground floor front room
of 26 Millbrook Street, Cheltenham. They were both removed to the mortuary at
The General Hospital, where the inquest was held. They were the bodies of
Mrs Clara Pitcher 75 years, and her son Reuben Charles Pitcher, a 45 year old printer.
It was reported that Clara was found on a sofa in a gas filled room
with a bullet wound to her temple, Reuben was found lying in the same room.
It was alledged Reuben had been suffering
from depression for some time.

Head on Motor Collision on the A38 at Norton 22/05/1926

Five persons were injured in a violent head on collision between a 28hp Buick motor
and a Morris Cowley 2 seater, at Norton (Between Gloucester and Coombe Hill).
The Buick, belonging to Mr Cottrell from The Manor at Bredon, and being driven by his
Chauffeur Mr Clinton, also contained two ladies who were going to Gloucester.
The Morris-Cowley was being driven from Pontypool to Tewkesbury, by Mr Jackson.
The photographs show both cars locked together,
and Sgt Wilks and Pc Pittaway with an eye-witness, Miss Minnie Tanner.

The Painswick Motor Fatality Case of 1925

Following a series of burglaries at garages in Lightpill, Painswick and Witcombe,
five men were chased by Stroud Police in a Morris-Cowley motor car,
as they descended Painswick Hill towards Stroud at great speed,
the car over turned and crashed,
killing two of the men. The other three were arrested for Burglary.
The three men, (A)Hunter, (B)Carney and (C)Gearing all appeared
in Stroud Court on 15/05/1925,
the photographs show the crash scene, the damaged car, the men at court and
Police Inspector Frank Hallett with a recovered stolen wheel
from Horne's garage at Painswick.

Armed burglary suspects arrested
in Cheltenham Park on 30/09/1926

Two prisoners handcuffed together, both committed for trial at
Gloucestershire Quarter Sessions,
being taken to G.W.R. Station, Cheltenham, en route for Gloucester Prison.
The younger man on the left is Richard O. Claremont, aged 19
(charged with having housebreaking implements in his possession)
was caught in The Park at night, with an automatic pistol, loaded with 6 live rounds,
at a house called Broadlands.
The other man, named Peter Dunne, aged 60, was found by Mr Eric Cooper,
in his father's house, and had some of Mr Cooper's property in his possession.

The Cotswold Poisoned Chocolates Case 1925

Great interest was taken in October 1925 into the hearing at Cirencester Police Court
of a charge against Mrs Annie Davenport, of Elkstone, of attempting to cause the death
of Mrs Agnes Smith, a young married woman of Duntisbourne Abbots, by sending her
throught he post Poisoned chocolates.
Davenport was committed to the Assizes in Gloucester.

The photographs show the prisoner arriving in Cirencester Railway Station
from Birmingham Prison, and as she is escorted into Court by a
Prison Wardress and a local Constable.

Fatal Motor Accident at Ryeford, 7th August 1925

On Friday, August 7th, Mr Frank Stanley, of St Mary's, Chalford,
a fireman on the G.W.R., aged 25yrs, was motorcycling with a friend, Mr E.W. Brown,
as pillion passenger, towards Stonehouse, from Ebley, when he collided
with a "National" motor charabanc, at the Ryeford corner. He was seriously hurt
and died at Stroud Hospital on Monday morning.
The photo shows the vehicles immediately after the accident.

Blockley Building Fire, March 1926

A fire, which practically gutted a building, occured at Blockley on Tuesday last.
It broke out about 1pm, in the house and greengrocer's shop of Mr Ronald Dyer.
The Blockley Fire Brigade, with their primative engine, can be seen at work,
and although they were assisted by the Moreton-In-Marsh Fire Brigade,
very little was saved.
(Note the village bobby doing his bit, called out from home in partial uniform)

The Hawbridge Torso Murder, February 1938

On 3rd February 1938 a local man found bloodstains on the bridge at Hawbridge
near Tewekesbury. Then clothing was found hidden in a hedge on Fredington Lane,
then finally three salmon fishermen made the grim discovery of a headless
torso in the river nearby.
A murder investigation was launched by Gloucestershire Police,
but still remains unsolved to this day. The body was believed to be that of
Captain William Butt, though it was never proved. Brian Sullivan, the son of a nurse
who looked after Butt's mother,
was found dead at Tower Lodge a couple of weeks before the discovery of the body.

Gloucester Floods 1947

Two City Constables helps rescue residents in Deans Walk, Gloucester,
by using an RAF dinghy

Blakeney Road Traffic Accident 1950's

The Severn Bridge Disaster of 1960

A Police Constable looks on at the wreckage of the Arkendale and Wastdale
Tanker Barges in the River Severn, following the Severn Bridge Disaster
on 25/10/1960.
Whilst below another Constable inspects the damage to The Severn Bridge,
the disaster sadly left 5 crew dead.

Various Road Traffic Incidents on the M5 Motorway

Pc's Dave Iliffe, Dave Jefferies and Paul West,
with an overturned caravan, cira. 1975

194 MISC M5 DAVE JEFFERIES

Twigworth Breakdowns Recovery
with Pc Dave Jefferies, circa. 1975

193 MISC M5 DAVE JEFFERIES ROBIN YATES (poss)

Pc's Dave Jefferies and Robin Yates(?)
on a two lane closure, circa. 1976

192 MISC M5 DAVE JEFFERIES STEVE JELF

Pc's Dave Jefferies & Steve Jelf, circa. 1976

Ford Granada Traffic Car involved in RTA, circa. 1978

A bridge strike on the M5, circa. 1990

The Cromwell Street Murders, 1967-1994

Between 1967 and 1987, Fred West, alone, and later, he and his wife Rosemary,
tortured, raped and murdered at least 11 young women and girls,
many at the couple's homes. Rosemary West also murdered Fred's stepdaughter,
Charmaine, while he was serving a prison sentence for theft. The majority of the murders
occurred between May 1973 and September 1979 at their home in
25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester. In 1994 Fred was charged with 12 murders
and Rosmary with 10. The house was demolished in 1996 and the space converted
into a landscaped footpath connecting Cromwell Street to St. Michaels Square.

The 2007 Floods

In July 2007 Gloucestershire experienced its worst floods on record,
and was the worst effected County in the UK. The town of Tewkesbury was completely cut off,
and its Mythe water treatment works was flooded - threatening drinking water supplies to 350,000 people.
50,000 homes were without electricity, as a battle commenced to save Walham power station from flood water.

Gloucestershire Police officers & staff worked 12hr shifts to provide normal policing on top of the
responsibility of providing combined assistance to the Fire & Rescue and Ambulance Services,
Military, Councils and Water and Electricity boards.
Officer's were directly involved in numurous rescues of people from water, and assisted with the issue of
fresh drinking water to locations around the County.
The emergency services response became known as Operation Outlook.
Sadly 3 people lost their lives during these devastating events.

Emergency Services Control Point, Tewkesbury

Swindon Village, Cheltenham

Pc Bailey on the Cheltenham Road, responding to a body in the water, which
thankfully turned out to be an empty child's car seat.

The front of Gloucester Police Station, many cars and vans were loaned to the Force
by West Midlands Police to cope with the extra policing responsibilites.