Johnny Edgecombe
Encyclopedia
John Arthur Alexander "Johnny" Edgecombe (22 October 1932 – 26 September 2010) was a British jazz promoter and criminal, whose
involvement with Christine Keeler
inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair
.
, the youngest of eight children. He often accompanied his father on his schooner running gasoline from Trinidad to Antigua. In 1942, his father took United States citizenship and disappeared.
The young Edgecombe worked his passage aboard a British ship carrying sugar to Liverpool
. From there he moved to Cardiff
, where he stayed for some years, lodging at a mission for seamen. Searching for his missing father, he hid on a ship bound for Texas
, but on arrival was arrested and put back on board for the return trip. When he docked in Britain, magistrates jailed him for 28 days as a stowaway. After leaving prison, he made his way to London, where he became involved in petty crime, serving three months for an attempted jewel theft. He ran a drinking and drugs den in premises rented from Peter Rachman
, and reportedly acted as a pimp to his girlfriend.
" that he first encountered Lucky Gordon
, who threatened to tip off the police about the drinking den. Edgecombe closed it down, and moved into the jazz scene, driving musicians gigs, and dealing dope.
In September 1962 he met a nightclub hostess, Christine Keeler
, and moved into her flat in Sheffield Terrace. Keeler was involved with several men, and it was this web of relationships and jealousy that triggered the events that lead to what became known as the Profumo Affair
. Keeler told Edgecombe that "Lucky" Gordon had assaulted her and held her captive after she ended their relationship. Edgecombe confronted Gordon with a knife in the Flamingo Club
on 27 October 1962, and Gordon required 17 stitches in the face. Edgecombe asked Keeler to help him find a solicitor before surrendering to the police, but she refused and said that she would give evidence against him.
On 14 December, Edgecombe took a taxi to the Marylebone flat of osteopath Stephen Ward, where Keeler was in hiding. When she refused to come out, he fired several shots at the door. His subsequent arrest set in motion the unravelling of Keeler's relationship with Secretary of State for War John Profumo
and Russian naval attaché Yevgeny Ivanov, with Keeler's non-appearance at his trial at the Old Bailey in March 1963 finally giving the British press the excuse it needed to publish the story.
Edgecombe was acquitted of assaulting "Lucky" Gordon, but jailed for seven years for possession of a firearm with the intent to endanger life. He served five years.
On his release Edgecombe became a jazz promoter, running a club called Edges, and worked as a film and television extra. He published his version of events, Black Scandal, in 2002. He died of lung cancer
and kidney cancer
in London, aged 77, on 26 September 2010.
involvement with Christine Keeler
Christine Keeler
Christine Margaret Keeler is an English former model and showgirl. Her involvement with a British government minister discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963, in what is known as the Profumo Affair....
inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair
Profumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
.
Early life
Edgecombe was born on 22 October 1932 in St. John's, Antigua and BarbudaSt. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
St John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, a country located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. St John's is located at...
, the youngest of eight children. He often accompanied his father on his schooner running gasoline from Trinidad to Antigua. In 1942, his father took United States citizenship and disappeared.
The young Edgecombe worked his passage aboard a British ship carrying sugar to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. From there he moved to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, where he stayed for some years, lodging at a mission for seamen. Searching for his missing father, he hid on a ship bound for Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, but on arrival was arrested and put back on board for the return trip. When he docked in Britain, magistrates jailed him for 28 days as a stowaway. After leaving prison, he made his way to London, where he became involved in petty crime, serving three months for an attempted jewel theft. He ran a drinking and drugs den in premises rented from Peter Rachman
Peter Rachman
Peter Rachman was a London landlord in the Notting Hill area in the 1950s and 1960s. He became so notorious for his exploitation of tenants that the word "Rachmanism" entered the OED as a synonym for any greedy, unscrupulous landlord.-Career:Rachman was born Perec Rachman in Lvov, Poland in 1919,...
, and reportedly acted as a pimp to his girlfriend.
Profumo scandal
It was in this "shebeenShebeen
A shebeen was originally an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages were sold without a licence.The term has spread far from its origins in Ireland, to Scotland, Canada, the United States, England,...
" that he first encountered Lucky Gordon
Aloysius Gordon
Aloysius "Lucky" Gordon is a British-based Jamaican jazz pianist and singer who came to public attention during the Profumo Affair. He arrived in London from Jamaica in the late 1940s.-Profumo Affair:...
, who threatened to tip off the police about the drinking den. Edgecombe closed it down, and moved into the jazz scene, driving musicians gigs, and dealing dope.
In September 1962 he met a nightclub hostess, Christine Keeler
Christine Keeler
Christine Margaret Keeler is an English former model and showgirl. Her involvement with a British government minister discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963, in what is known as the Profumo Affair....
, and moved into her flat in Sheffield Terrace. Keeler was involved with several men, and it was this web of relationships and jealousy that triggered the events that lead to what became known as the Profumo Affair
Profumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
. Keeler told Edgecombe that "Lucky" Gordon had assaulted her and held her captive after she ended their relationship. Edgecombe confronted Gordon with a knife in the Flamingo Club
Flamingo Club (London)
The Flamingo Club was a nightclub that operated in Soho, London, between 1952 and the late 1960s. It was located at 33-37 Wardour Street from 1957 onwards, and played an important role in the development of British rhythm and blues and jazz....
on 27 October 1962, and Gordon required 17 stitches in the face. Edgecombe asked Keeler to help him find a solicitor before surrendering to the police, but she refused and said that she would give evidence against him.
On 14 December, Edgecombe took a taxi to the Marylebone flat of osteopath Stephen Ward, where Keeler was in hiding. When she refused to come out, he fired several shots at the door. His subsequent arrest set in motion the unravelling of Keeler's relationship with Secretary of State for War John Profumo
John Profumo
Brigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...
and Russian naval attaché Yevgeny Ivanov, with Keeler's non-appearance at his trial at the Old Bailey in March 1963 finally giving the British press the excuse it needed to publish the story.
Edgecombe was acquitted of assaulting "Lucky" Gordon, but jailed for seven years for possession of a firearm with the intent to endanger life. He served five years.
On his release Edgecombe became a jazz promoter, running a club called Edges, and worked as a film and television extra. He published his version of events, Black Scandal, in 2002. He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and kidney cancer
Kidney cancer
Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the cells in the kidney.The two most common types of kidney cancer are renal cell carcinoma and urothelial cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis...
in London, aged 77, on 26 September 2010.