The story of Fred Wensley, a Somerset gardener who joined the
Metropolitan Police in 1888 and retired, forty-one years later as Chief
Constable of the CID, is an extraordinary one.
After an abortive attempt to catch 'Jack the Ripper' by nailing strips
of bicycle tyres to the soles of his boots, Wensley got stuck into
arresting the ne'er-do-wells of Whitechapel, where he would spend
twenty-five years of his service.
Within months of joining the CID, Wensley, while off duty, arrested a
double murderer. He smashed the murderous Bessarabian and Odessa gangs,
brought the Vendetta gang to book when, brandishing revolvers they tried
to storm a police court, played a decisive part in the Siege of Sidney
Street and created the Flying Squad.
Wensley's career was dogged with controversy; when Stinie Morrison was
convicted of murder, was he, as he claimed, framed by Wensley? And was
Edith Thompson, hanged for the murder of her husband, as Wensley stated,
'a cold-blooded murderess' or, as her defense counsel claimed, 'a
fanciful dreamer'?
The first King's Police Medal was awarded to Wensley; he was appointed
OBE and commended on many of occasions.
Retired Flying Squad officer, turned author, Dick Kirby has dug deep to
paint a fascinating portrait of the man dubbed, 'The Greatest Detective
of all Time'.
