Tottenham Outrage
Encyclopedia
The Tottenham Outrage is the name given to an armed robbery
and double murder
which took place in Tottenham
, North London
and Walthamstow
, Essex
, on 23 January 1909, which was carried out by two anarchists
, Paul Helfeld and Jacob Lepidus (sometimes spelt Lapidus).
The "Outrage" became a cause célèbre
in Edwardian London
, with the route of the murdered policeman's funeral cortège being lined by a crowd of half a million people. The event led to the creation of the King's Police Medal, to reward the gallantry of the police officers involved. It also reinforced a feeling of xenophobia
, fear of immigrants, and anti-Semitism
, which influenced reactions to the Sidney Street Siege in 1911.
to collect about £80 in gold
, silver
and copper
.
At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday 23 January 1909, Helfeld and Lepidus, respectively armed with FN M1900
and Bergmann 1894
semiautomatic pistols, waited on either side of the entrance to the factory awaiting the car holding the wages. Keyworth left the car and while proceeding to the factory was seized by Lepidus, who tried to snatch the bag, and during the following struggle they both ended up on the ground, whereupon Joseph Wilson joined the fight and restrained Lepidus. At this point, Helfeld fired a number of shots at Wilson which all hit him, but due to his heavy layers of clothing caused no injury and failed to penetrate. Upon Lepidus regaining his upright position, he fired once at Keyworth but the shot missed. Two police officer
s, Constables Tyler and Newman, heard the shots from the nearby Tottenham Police Station
and ran to the location of the noise, finding George Smith, a local gas stoker, beating Lepidus while on the ground. Smith was shot twice by Helfeld, once in the head and the other in the collar bone
, but survived.
The two gunmen ran from the scene down Chesnut Road, pursued by Constable Tyler on foot and Constable Newman with Wilson in his motor car. By this time, Constables Bond and Fraser had been alerted to the situation and joined the chase, along with a number of other officers. The fugitives, while running, turned and shot at a number of people pursuing them before running through Scales Road into Mitchley Road, where Helfeld stopped to reload his firearm. The car containing Wilson and Constable Newman sped towards Helfeld and Lepidus trying to run them over, attracting a hail of bullets from the two men. The car crashed, causing both those inside injury. Inadvertently caught up in the hail of bullets, a 10-year-old boy, Ralph Joscelyne, was hit. He died in the arms of a bystander before he could be taken to hospital. By this time, all those on foot had arrived at the scene where the motor car had crashed, and Constable Bond borrowed a small revolver
from a member of the crowd and discharged four shots at the fleeing Lepidus and Helfeld, but all missed. Helfeld and Lepidus both headed towards a railway foot-bridge at the end of Down Road leading to Tottenham Marshes
. In an attempt to cut them off, Constables Tyler and Newman ran across waste ground, out of sight of the armed offenders and protected by a high fence, and ended up with Tyler coming face-to-face with Helfeld and Lepidus as they ran out from the other side of the fence. Constable Tyler shouted "Come on, give in, the game's up." Helfeld took careful aim and shot Tyler through the head. Constable Newman stayed with Tyler and helped move him to a nearby private house awaiting an ambulance
. Five minutes after being admitted to hospital, Tyler was pronounced dead.
By this time, officers from all nearby stations were converging on Tottenham Marshes, some armed and others not. Lepidus and Helfeld had been forced to turn north-east, which led them to the River Lea. While they were searching for a crossing place, a number of civilian bystanders joined in the chase but were wounded. The would-be robbers crossed the river, and on arriving at Mill Stream Bridge, they rested and fired more shots at their civilian pursuers, injuring two more. Constable Nicod arrived on the scene unobserved by the two. He crawled forward with a revolver, which failed to fire. He was noticed by Helfeld and Lepidus, leading to his being shot in the left thigh and leg. The two continued to be chased along the south side of the Banbury Reservoir in Walthamstow
, before being confronted by Sidney Slater, a horse keeper, who was fired at several times and disabled. Constable Spedding also caught up and fired four shots from a borrowed revolver at the fleeing Lepidus and Helfeld, but all missed. Helfeld and Lepidus crossed a traveller encampment firing at several people, but caused no injuries. At Salisbury Farm the two rested, still pursued by civilians and police, and here William Roker was shot in the legs by Lepidus. The farmyard abutted Chingford Road, along which the Walthamstow
Urban District Council tram
s ran. Helfeld and Lepidus hijacked a tram en route for Leyton
. Several members of the public escaped the tram, but while on board Edward Loveday was shot in the throat. The police commandeered another tram, and it was boarded by about 40 officers. Further along the road, the tram containing Helfeld and Lepidus was in danger of being overtaken by a horse-drawn carriage
driven by Constable Hawkins, who attempted to shoot at the tram, but crashed after Helfeld shot the horse.
After Helfeld and Lepidus were alerted that a police station was situated around the next corner, they both jumped off the tram and stole a milk cart, shooting its driver George Conyard in the chest and arm as he attempted to stop them. They drove the cart along Farnham Road into Forest Road, where it crashed while negotiating a bend. Abandoning the milk cart, Helfeld and Lepidus hijacked another horse and cart, with Lepidus riding the animal and Helfeld firing into the large crowd of people in pursuit, made up of a number of police and civilians, some armed, and some on foot while others were mounted or driving cars. The pursuing crowd was led by a motor car containing Constables Shakespeare and Gibbs, driven by Frederick Williams and also carrying Thomas Brown armed with a double-barreled shotgun
who was exchanging fire with Helfeld and Lepidus. Sergeant Howitt and Constable Francis were on duty at Hagger Bridge, where, hearing shots and police whistles, they attempted to stop the horse and cart but retreated to cover after being fired upon several times. However, the officers caused the horse and cart to swerve and crash into Fulbourne Road and then into Wadham Road.
After abandoning the horse and cart, Helfeld and Lepidus fled to the River Ching and Lepidus climbed over a six-foot fence, leaving Helfeld behind. As the crowd neared Helfeld's position, he shot himself in the right eye, but survived the initial injury and was taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital. Constable Ziething caught up with Lepidus, and was fired at several times by the fugitive, but the bullets passed through his clothing and into a civilian, Frederick Mortimer. Lepidus ran into Hale End Road and was hidden from sight by a row of cottages. The end cottage was occupied by a family, Charles Rolstone, who was at work in the scullery with his wife and two children inside. Rolstone's wife saw Lepidus inside and fled the house, leaving Constable Dewhurst and Charles Shaffer, a baker, to rescue the children inside. Lepidus now appeared at one of the front bedroom windows and was driven back by a hail of gunfire from the mixture of police and civilians outside. Constable Eagles armed himself with a borrowed civilian pistol, climbed a ladder placed at the back of the cottage and opened a bedroom window. At the same time at the front of the house, Constables Cater and Dixon, both armed with service revolvers, broke in through a ground-floor window, with a dog also being released into the house in the hope it would flush Lepidus out. While looking through the window, Constable Eagles saw Lepidus point his firearm directly at him, but the officer could not operate his borrowed weapon's faulty safety catch
. Eagles climbed back down to the ground and was joined by Constables Dixon and Cater and Inspector Gould, who were all armed.
After storming the house, Eagles fired twice through the door into the room where Lepidus was, and Cater once. This was followed by a shot from inside. The officers burst into the room and found Lepidus dead. Eagles and Cater thought that it must have been they who fired the fatal shot, but on release of autopsy results it was seen that the calibre did not match either Cater's or Eagles's firearms, and Lepidus had killed himself.
The site of this final scene of the incident was near the Royal Oak public house in Hale End, Walthamstow
.
. Helfeld survived until 12 February in hospital and died following an operation. While in hospital, many officers were assigned to provide armed guarding to the building night and day, as a rescue attempt was deemed possible.
Many members of the public involved claimed for compensation for a variety of reasons, and some were later proved to be fraudulent. In recognition of Constables Eagles, Dixon, Carter, Dewhurst and Nicod were all promoted to Sergeant without examination. Constables Newman and Zeithing were advanced to the highest pay grade for their rank, without having completed the standard time allowing such. Inspector Gould, Sergeant Hale, Constables Spedding, Bond and three others all of which were active during the pursuit were awarded from the Bow Street Court Reward Fund. Eagles, Carter and Dixon also went on to be awarded the King's Police Medal
when the decoration was instituted in 1909. Ralph Joscelyne's mother kept the shoes her son had been wearing on the day he was killed. Following her wishes, they were buried with her when she died nearly 50 years later.
A collection was organised for PC Tyler's widow, raising £1,055. Joscelyne and Tyler were buried a yard apart at Abney Park Cemetery
on Friday 29 January 1909, attended by Sir Edward Henry
, the Commissioner of Police
, and Herbert Samuel
, Under-Secretary of State
for the Home Department. The funeral cortège passed along a 2.5 mile route lined by 3,000 police officers and an estimated crowd of 500,000. The lengthy procession included white-plumed horses drawing Joscelyne's coffin and black-plumed horses drawing Tyler's coffin, draped in a Union Flag
, which were escorted by hundreds of policemen (mounted and on foot), a police band, men from the local fire brigade, men from the Scots Guards
and Royal Garrison Artillery
, and tramway employees. A volley of guns was fired at the conclusion of the funeral.
A new medal, the King's Police Medal, was created to recognise the bravery of the police officers that had pursued the armed criminals. It was established by a Royal Warrant
dated 7 July 1909, and three officers who broke into Oak Cottage to apprehend Lepidus were among the first recipients announced on 9 November 1909. Posthumous awards were not made until 1977, so Tyler's death went unrewarded.
The events were commemorated in a silent film
, and a book published in 2000 by Janet Dorothy Harris, Outrage! An Edwardian Tragedy.
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
and double murder
Double murder
Double murder is a term used to describe the act of unlawfully killing two people. This is commonly punished by back-to-back life sentences. It is possible but rare for a double-murder charge to be enforced in cases of homicide in which a pregnant woman is murdered, thereby killing her unborn...
which took place in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, on 23 January 1909, which was carried out by two anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, Paul Helfeld and Jacob Lepidus (sometimes spelt Lapidus).
The "Outrage" became a cause célèbre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
in Edwardian London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with the route of the murdered policeman's funeral cortège being lined by a crowd of half a million people. The event led to the creation of the King's Police Medal, to reward the gallantry of the police officers involved. It also reinforced a feeling of xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
, fear of immigrants, and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, which influenced reactions to the Sidney Street Siege in 1911.
Robbery and chase
Before the robbery, Helfeld worked at the Schnurmann Rubber Factory in Chesnut Road, Tottenham for a short period of time. While working at the factory, Helfeld observed that the weekly collection of wages occurred every Saturday morning. Each week, the wages clerk, Albert Keyworth, aged 17, was taken in the factory owner's car by Joseph Wilson to a bank in South HackneySouth Hackney
South Hackney is a district in the London Borough of Hackney situated north east of Charing Cross.It is immediately north of Victoria Park and the area centred on Victoria Park Road and Lauriston Road...
to collect about £80 in gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
.
At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday 23 January 1909, Helfeld and Lepidus, respectively armed with FN M1900
FN M1900
The FN Browning M1900 is a single action, semi-automatic pistol designed ca. 1896 by John Browning for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal and produced in Belgium at the turn of the century...
and Bergmann 1894
Theodor Bergmann
Theodor Bergmann was a German businessman and industrialist best remembered for the various revolutionary firearms his companies released. Like many entrepreneurs of the era, his activity was centered on bicycles and the nascent automobile...
semiautomatic pistols, waited on either side of the entrance to the factory awaiting the car holding the wages. Keyworth left the car and while proceeding to the factory was seized by Lepidus, who tried to snatch the bag, and during the following struggle they both ended up on the ground, whereupon Joseph Wilson joined the fight and restrained Lepidus. At this point, Helfeld fired a number of shots at Wilson which all hit him, but due to his heavy layers of clothing caused no injury and failed to penetrate. Upon Lepidus regaining his upright position, he fired once at Keyworth but the shot missed. Two police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s, Constables Tyler and Newman, heard the shots from the nearby Tottenham Police Station
Police Station
Police Station is a American TV series that aired in syndication in 1959. Stories were taken from actual files.- Cast :*Baynes Barron as Sergeant White*Larry Kerr as Detective Chuck Mitchell*Henry Beckman as Detective Stan Abramson...
and ran to the location of the noise, finding George Smith, a local gas stoker, beating Lepidus while on the ground. Smith was shot twice by Helfeld, once in the head and the other in the collar bone
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
, but survived.
The two gunmen ran from the scene down Chesnut Road, pursued by Constable Tyler on foot and Constable Newman with Wilson in his motor car. By this time, Constables Bond and Fraser had been alerted to the situation and joined the chase, along with a number of other officers. The fugitives, while running, turned and shot at a number of people pursuing them before running through Scales Road into Mitchley Road, where Helfeld stopped to reload his firearm. The car containing Wilson and Constable Newman sped towards Helfeld and Lepidus trying to run them over, attracting a hail of bullets from the two men. The car crashed, causing both those inside injury. Inadvertently caught up in the hail of bullets, a 10-year-old boy, Ralph Joscelyne, was hit. He died in the arms of a bystander before he could be taken to hospital. By this time, all those on foot had arrived at the scene where the motor car had crashed, and Constable Bond borrowed a small revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
from a member of the crowd and discharged four shots at the fleeing Lepidus and Helfeld, but all missed. Helfeld and Lepidus both headed towards a railway foot-bridge at the end of Down Road leading to Tottenham Marshes
Tottenham Marshes
The Tottenham Marshes are located at Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey. The marshes cover over and became part of the Lee Valley Park in 1972. The marsh is made up of three main areas; Clendish Marsh, Wild Marsh West and Wild Marsh East...
. In an attempt to cut them off, Constables Tyler and Newman ran across waste ground, out of sight of the armed offenders and protected by a high fence, and ended up with Tyler coming face-to-face with Helfeld and Lepidus as they ran out from the other side of the fence. Constable Tyler shouted "Come on, give in, the game's up." Helfeld took careful aim and shot Tyler through the head. Constable Newman stayed with Tyler and helped move him to a nearby private house awaiting an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
. Five minutes after being admitted to hospital, Tyler was pronounced dead.
By this time, officers from all nearby stations were converging on Tottenham Marshes, some armed and others not. Lepidus and Helfeld had been forced to turn north-east, which led them to the River Lea. While they were searching for a crossing place, a number of civilian bystanders joined in the chase but were wounded. The would-be robbers crossed the river, and on arriving at Mill Stream Bridge, they rested and fired more shots at their civilian pursuers, injuring two more. Constable Nicod arrived on the scene unobserved by the two. He crawled forward with a revolver, which failed to fire. He was noticed by Helfeld and Lepidus, leading to his being shot in the left thigh and leg. The two continued to be chased along the south side of the Banbury Reservoir in Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
, before being confronted by Sidney Slater, a horse keeper, who was fired at several times and disabled. Constable Spedding also caught up and fired four shots from a borrowed revolver at the fleeing Lepidus and Helfeld, but all missed. Helfeld and Lepidus crossed a traveller encampment firing at several people, but caused no injuries. At Salisbury Farm the two rested, still pursued by civilians and police, and here William Roker was shot in the legs by Lepidus. The farmyard abutted Chingford Road, along which the Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
Urban District Council tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s ran. Helfeld and Lepidus hijacked a tram en route for Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
. Several members of the public escaped the tram, but while on board Edward Loveday was shot in the throat. The police commandeered another tram, and it was boarded by about 40 officers. Further along the road, the tram containing Helfeld and Lepidus was in danger of being overtaken by a horse-drawn carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
driven by Constable Hawkins, who attempted to shoot at the tram, but crashed after Helfeld shot the horse.
After Helfeld and Lepidus were alerted that a police station was situated around the next corner, they both jumped off the tram and stole a milk cart, shooting its driver George Conyard in the chest and arm as he attempted to stop them. They drove the cart along Farnham Road into Forest Road, where it crashed while negotiating a bend. Abandoning the milk cart, Helfeld and Lepidus hijacked another horse and cart, with Lepidus riding the animal and Helfeld firing into the large crowd of people in pursuit, made up of a number of police and civilians, some armed, and some on foot while others were mounted or driving cars. The pursuing crowd was led by a motor car containing Constables Shakespeare and Gibbs, driven by Frederick Williams and also carrying Thomas Brown armed with a double-barreled shotgun
Double-barreled shotgun
A double-barreled shotgun is a shotgun or combination gun with two parallel barrels, allowing two shots to be fired in quick succession.-Construction:...
who was exchanging fire with Helfeld and Lepidus. Sergeant Howitt and Constable Francis were on duty at Hagger Bridge, where, hearing shots and police whistles, they attempted to stop the horse and cart but retreated to cover after being fired upon several times. However, the officers caused the horse and cart to swerve and crash into Fulbourne Road and then into Wadham Road.
After abandoning the horse and cart, Helfeld and Lepidus fled to the River Ching and Lepidus climbed over a six-foot fence, leaving Helfeld behind. As the crowd neared Helfeld's position, he shot himself in the right eye, but survived the initial injury and was taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital. Constable Ziething caught up with Lepidus, and was fired at several times by the fugitive, but the bullets passed through his clothing and into a civilian, Frederick Mortimer. Lepidus ran into Hale End Road and was hidden from sight by a row of cottages. The end cottage was occupied by a family, Charles Rolstone, who was at work in the scullery with his wife and two children inside. Rolstone's wife saw Lepidus inside and fled the house, leaving Constable Dewhurst and Charles Shaffer, a baker, to rescue the children inside. Lepidus now appeared at one of the front bedroom windows and was driven back by a hail of gunfire from the mixture of police and civilians outside. Constable Eagles armed himself with a borrowed civilian pistol, climbed a ladder placed at the back of the cottage and opened a bedroom window. At the same time at the front of the house, Constables Cater and Dixon, both armed with service revolvers, broke in through a ground-floor window, with a dog also being released into the house in the hope it would flush Lepidus out. While looking through the window, Constable Eagles saw Lepidus point his firearm directly at him, but the officer could not operate his borrowed weapon's faulty safety catch
Safety (firearms)
In firearms, a safety or safety catch is a mechanism used to help prevent the accidental discharge of a firearm, helping to ensure safer handling....
. Eagles climbed back down to the ground and was joined by Constables Dixon and Cater and Inspector Gould, who were all armed.
After storming the house, Eagles fired twice through the door into the room where Lepidus was, and Cater once. This was followed by a shot from inside. The officers burst into the room and found Lepidus dead. Eagles and Cater thought that it must have been they who fired the fatal shot, but on release of autopsy results it was seen that the calibre did not match either Cater's or Eagles's firearms, and Lepidus had killed himself.
The site of this final scene of the incident was near the Royal Oak public house in Hale End, Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
.
Aftermath
The incident lasted more than two hours, covered a distance of six miles with an estimated 400 rounds fired by Helfeld and Lepidus. Twenty-five casualties were reported, two fatal and several serious. Constable Tyler was publicly buried on 29 January in Abney Park CemeteryAbney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
. Helfeld survived until 12 February in hospital and died following an operation. While in hospital, many officers were assigned to provide armed guarding to the building night and day, as a rescue attempt was deemed possible.
Many members of the public involved claimed for compensation for a variety of reasons, and some were later proved to be fraudulent. In recognition of Constables Eagles, Dixon, Carter, Dewhurst and Nicod were all promoted to Sergeant without examination. Constables Newman and Zeithing were advanced to the highest pay grade for their rank, without having completed the standard time allowing such. Inspector Gould, Sergeant Hale, Constables Spedding, Bond and three others all of which were active during the pursuit were awarded from the Bow Street Court Reward Fund. Eagles, Carter and Dixon also went on to be awarded the King's Police Medal
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
when the decoration was instituted in 1909. Ralph Joscelyne's mother kept the shoes her son had been wearing on the day he was killed. Following her wishes, they were buried with her when she died nearly 50 years later.
A collection was organised for PC Tyler's widow, raising £1,055. Joscelyne and Tyler were buried a yard apart at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
on Friday 29 January 1909, attended by Sir Edward Henry
Edward Henry
Sir Edward Richard Henry, 1st Baronet GCVO KCB CSI KPM was the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 1903 to 1918....
, the Commissioner of Police
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, classing the holder as a chief police officer...
, and Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
, Under-Secretary of State
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
-Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782-present:*April 1782: Evan Nepean*April 1782: Thomas Orde*July 1782: Henry Strachey*April 1783: George North*February 1784: Hon. John Townshend*June 1789: Scrope Bernard*July 1794: The Hon...
for the Home Department. The funeral cortège passed along a 2.5 mile route lined by 3,000 police officers and an estimated crowd of 500,000. The lengthy procession included white-plumed horses drawing Joscelyne's coffin and black-plumed horses drawing Tyler's coffin, draped in a Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
, which were escorted by hundreds of policemen (mounted and on foot), a police band, men from the local fire brigade, men from the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
and Royal Garrison Artillery
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery was an arm of the Royal Artillery that was originally tasked with manning the guns of the British Empire's forts and fortresses, including coastal artillery batteries, the heavy gun batteries attached to each infantry division, and the guns of the siege...
, and tramway employees. A volley of guns was fired at the conclusion of the funeral.
A new medal, the King's Police Medal, was created to recognise the bravery of the police officers that had pursued the armed criminals. It was established by a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
dated 7 July 1909, and three officers who broke into Oak Cottage to apprehend Lepidus were among the first recipients announced on 9 November 1909. Posthumous awards were not made until 1977, so Tyler's death went unrewarded.
The events were commemorated in a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, and a book published in 2000 by Janet Dorothy Harris, Outrage! An Edwardian Tragedy.
External links
- The Tottenham Outrage
- Map of the escape route (PDF)
- The Tottenham Outrage - 1909
- Tottenham Outrage 1909, Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan policeMetropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
- History by the Yard