This is the first in a series of blogs, about a tragic tale of a young man, literally shot down in his prime.
John may still have family living in the region and for that reason we must warn you that this post
contains descriptions of assault, murder and features some images that you may find upsetting.
Our story begins over one hundred years ago, just after the end of World War one. Bigges Main village,
near Wallsend, is the scene of the crime, the village no longer exists but its name may still stir
memories for some…
A file of an unsolved murder was deposited with us at Northumberland Archives a while ago by Northumbria Police. In it we discover a contemporary review of the case by the police, which runs to thirteen pages. Their conclusion reads…
“Whilst there are no new lines of enquiry it is hoped that a similar event in the present time with so many eye witnesses would culminate in a more successful outcome.”
So, lets look at the evidence and perhaps in doing so you will reach your own conclusions about what happened on that fateful day, the 26th of January 1919?
It was late evening, cold and dark, when Elizabeth Phillipson and her cousin John Thomas Bianchi set out to walk from his house in Chapel Row, Bigges Main to her place of work at Walkergate Hospital. John was in the habit of accompanying his cousin to her work, because there had been reports of an unknown man harassing workers from the hospital. They hadn’t gone far on their journey when they noticed a man in a dark overcoat and light cap standing by the side of the lane. Later, witness statements will describe the man as being between 5ft 8” and 5ft 10”. Between 26 and 36 years old, having broad shoulders, being clean shaven, with a thin face.
We can turn to the file of police reports and the written transcript of a telephone message received the next morning at 10:30 am from Superintendent Metcalf of Wallsend police to the Chief Constable at Morpeth.
“About 9:45 last night Elizabeth Phillipson, Laundry Maid, Walkergate Hospital and John Thomas Bianchi, Chapel Row, Bigges Main, apprentice driller-cousins-were proceeding from Bigges Main to Walkergate Hospital when about 200 yards west of Bigges Main a man fired a shot… the bullet penetrated Bianchi’s stomach and the man then assaulted the young woman and ran over the fields.”
Remarkably John survived the shooting but sadly died later, as the result of cardiac failure, whilst undergoing an operation to remove the bullet. The surgeon’s report tells us that the bullet had caused little damage to John’s internal organs. We can only wonder if the bullet had been left where it was, whether John may have gone on to live a normal life. John sadly died at 12.45pm on the 27th of January 1919, the day after the shooting.
As the result of John’s passing the police were no longer looking for a violent attacker, they were looking for a murderer.
Their investigations take them back to the scene of the shooting where they find revolver cartridges and a gun.
This picture is of a catalogue found in the police file showing the make and model of gun used in the murder. It was provided by the manufacturers in response to the police enquiry. The manufacturer replies to the police stating that the serial numbers on the gun indicate that the pistol was issued to the
“Army Inspection Department March 1917 under contract for Admiralty”
they go on to say that the letter “N” in the serial number
“indicates that it was supplied to the Navy”.
As a result, they advise the police to write to the Naval Ordnance Officer at Portsmouth,
“who will no doubt be able to say the unit or ship to which the pistol was issued.”
One of the police officers, PC John Craghill drafts a memo to Wallsend police station on the 31st January 1919 stating that he took the weapon to
“Mr Pape’s shop in Collingwood Street, Newcastle…Mr Pape who examined the revolver and was of the opinion that it had recently been used.”
We believe this Mr Pape to be Victor Pape who had taken over the gun selling business from his father, William Rochester Pape.
The Illustrated Chronicle, a contemporary local newspaper, reporting on the crime amazingly print a photograph of what they claim is the actual gun used in the shooting1.
Returning to the police investigation, the file has no linear explanation of how the investigation ran and there are many gaps in the information. Leaving us to guess at how some leads were initiated and concluded. The initial activity in early 1919 centres on trying to locate the ship to which the gun was issued and then who might have had access to that gun. There are 176 pages of information spanning two years investigating the murder including the modern review in 1999, which gives a good summary of the file. There is one piece of information in the modern review that does not appear in the file we received and that concerns a man called Smith, who we will meet in the next blog. But for now, let us return to the investigation and the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
P.C James Sweeney’s statement received at Northumberland Constabulary Headquarters, Morpeth on the 31st January 1919 reads
“On the 28th January 1919 I went on duty at 8am …went to Blyth Docks, where I had the revolver produced, identified by the Captain of the G6 to be Government property and stolen from the G6 between the 14th and 22nd January 1919.”
Also received on that day is a statement by William J Carlew, Able Rating of Submarine G.6. and he states that
“The pistol produced belongs to the G.6. submarine. I missed it on the 22nd January 1919, I think I last saw it on the 18th January 1919 but I would not swear to that date, I am certain I saw it on the 14th January 1919, when we were painting because it fell down from the rack on that date.”
Carlew states that he reported the missing gun to Lieutenant Davis. Subsequent reports from Superintendent James Irving states that no statement was taken from any of the officers, Captain Downie, or Lieutenants Davis and Boyd, but he states he was verbally able to take account of their whereabouts.
The image above is entitled “G6 at Blyth probably late 1918 with G10 inboard”
From other police reports regarding the gun, we know that it had part of the black composition of the handle broken off, which may have happened either when Elizabeth Phillipson was assaulted or when it fell from the rack.
The police also enquire into the personnel of HMS Titania. HMS Titania was the depot ship for the submarines at Blyth at that time. A depot ship was used as a base for submarines, or other small ships for storing maintenance equipment, dining, berthing and relaxation.
So, it follows that the police would have been interested in speaking with the crew of the Titania to rule them out of the investigation. In the file we have statements by the crew and sometimes in absence of their own statement we have statements by their wives, girlfriends, or other family members. Curiously the statements from those close to the service men seem to be all that is required to rule a person out of their enquiry.
Join us next time for the next in this series of blogs where we will investigate the link with a patient at Walkergate Hospital, Gunner Smith and the E40.
Please note that the file about the murder and assault at Bigges Main is currently uncatalogued so is not yet available to the public in the Study Centre.
1. Photograph of The Illustrated Chronicle courtesy of Newcastle Libraries. https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/libraries-culture/libraries-newcastle/city-library
