Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1921/2/5/5a to g
  • Title
    The depositions of William Thorpe Tyson, 270 Dunstable Road Luton & Arthur Bacon The Borough Police Office Luton taken on oath 5th March 1921 before one of His Majesty's Justices of Peace in the presence & hearing of Ernest Bailey, Arthur Cecil Gilbert Roe, Horace Smart & Walter Edmund Bailey
  • Date free text
    5th March 1921
  • Production date
    From: 1921 To: 1921
  • Scope and Content
    They are charged that between 16th & 17th January 1921 the did feloniously break & enter the building & premises, being the bowling green pavillion, Dunstable Road Luton of the Beech Hill Bowling Club & therein feloniously did steal 4 leather bags, 2 pairs of boots, one pair of shoes, 3 dozen small knives, 3 dozen spoons & forks, a bottle of Johnny Walker Whisky. 6 bottles of Port Wine, 5 ounces of Bondman Tobacco, 4 ounces of Westwood HoTobacco, 1 packet of 20 Gold Flake cigarettes,several cups & saucers, papper box & mustard pot togetherof the value of £25, the property of the said Beech Hill Bowling Club, cotrary to the form of the statute in such case made & provided. The deponent William Thorpe Tyson on his oath said :- I am secretary to the Beech Hill Bowling Club I reside at 270 Dunstable Road Luton. The bowling green & pavillion are situated off Dunstable Road Luton near the Laundry close to the highway. They are surrounded by a 6 feet wooden fence which has a door. There is a drinking bar partitioned off from the Pavillion. I hold the key to this bar. Beer, whisky, tobacco & cigarettes are kept in the Bar. There are about 90 members of the Club & it is customary for members to leave bags , boots, shoes & other things in the Pavillion. About 1pm on Sunday 16th January 1921, I securely locked the bar & slao the Pavillion door. At that timethe windows were all secure. I also left in the Bar 3 dozen large Table Knives with the name Gibbs & Dandy & crossed daggers stamped thereon, 3 dozen small cheese knives stamped Gibbs & Dandy, 3 dozen white metal spoons & forks stamped Beneras, a bottle of whisky, 6 bottles of port Wine, packets oftabacco & cigarettes, crockery etc.There were also several bowls bags, one with my name on it, & also a pair of boots. In the pavillion there were several pairs of boots belonging to mambers. I next visited the club about 6:15pm on Monday 17th January 1921. Upon my arrival I found the Pavillion door open also the Bar door. Upon examining the doors I found that they had been forced. I also found that my bag, 1 pair of boots, 3 other bags 3 dozen large knives, 3 dozen small knives, 3 dozen spoons & forks, 1 bootle of Johnny Walker whisky, 6 bootles of port wine, 5 ounces of bondman tobacco, 4 ounce of Westwood Ho Tobacco. 1 packet of 20 Gold Flake cigarettes, several cups & saucers, a pepper box & mustard pot were missing. I also found the box opener & the flash lamps, produced, which had been left behind. I reported the matter to the Police. On Monday 28th February 1921 I was called to the Police Station where I was shownthe bags, produced, also the shoes, boots, knives, forks, spoons, pepper box & mustard pot. I identified the bag products as my own personal property & the remaining articles are property of the members of the Beech Hill Bowling Club. The total value of the articles stolen would be about £25.00. signed W T Tyson. The deponent Arhur Baconon his oath said:- I am a Detective sergeant in the Luton Borough Police Force. On Monday 17th January 1921 I received a report of this robbery & made enquiries. I found thatboth doors of the Pavillion had been forced also the Bar door. I continued my equiries & on Thursday 24th February 1921 I had the 4 prisoners in custody on another charge. In consequenceof what the prisoner Roe said to me I placed all 4 prisoners together, cautioned them & said ; "I am also making enquires about the Bowling Green Pavillion in Dunstable Road which has benn entered". As a pesault of their replies. I recovered the knives, forks & spoons, 2 bags & a pair of boots, produced, from the house of the prisoner Roe. At Baileys house I recovered 2 bags, 1 pair of Black boots,a pepper box, a mustard pot, 3 plates, 2 cups & saucers, produced. I returned to the Police Station, again placed all the prisoners together & told them that the property produced had all been identified as stolen. Roe replies "thats right, we was there, I also had a bottle of port wine"Walter Bailey replied "I had a bottle of Port Wine as well& we drank the bottle of whisky beteen us" Smart replied I had a bottle of port wine" Ernest Bailey replied " I had a bottle of Port Wine, bags & boots, I helped to force the doors" I showed the prisoners the instrument produced & said "This was left behind at the Pavillion" Ernest Bailey then replied " Yes, thats mine" I then further cautioned the prisoners & charegd them with being concerned together sometimebetween 1 pm on Sunday 16th January 1921 & 6:15 pm on Manday 17th January 1921 in breaking & entering the Bowling Green pavillion Dunstable Road Luton & stealing 4 leather bags, 2 pairs of boots, one pair of shoes, 3 dozen small knives, 3 dozen spoons & forks, a bottle of Johnny Walker Whisky. 6 bottles of Port Wine, 5 ounces of Bondman Tobacco, 4 ounces of Westwood HoTobacco, 1 packet of 20 Gold Flake cigarettes,several cups & saucers, papper box & mustard pot togetherof the value of £25, the property of Beech Hill Bowling Club. They made no reply. Signed Arthur Bacon.
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