Thomas Henry Allaway

Thomas Allaway was convicted of the murder of 31-year-old Irene May Wilkins and sentenced to death.

He lured her from London to Bournemouth on the false pretence of work and battered her to death at Boscombe on 22 December 1921. Her body was found in a field at a lonely spot on Seafield Road.

There was no known motive.

Irene Wilkins had been a cook and had put an advert in the paper looking for a job. She had been a single woman and had lived with her family at 21 Thirlmere Road in Streatham. Thomas Allaway saw the advert an a copy of the Morning Post, dated 22 December 1921, and sent her a telegram requesting that she come to Bournemouth that day where she met Thomas Allaway who took her to the field in a Mercedes car belonging to his employer, on the outskirts of Bournemouth where he beat her to death with a blunt instrument.

Thomas Allaway wasn't arrested until four months later.

Police traced tyre tracks to his car and later determined that the telegram, as well as several others he had sent to other people had been written in his hand writing.

He denied the murder in court although he confessed shortly before his execution.

Thomas Allaway had been a chauffeur. He had previously joined the RASC in August 1914, but had deserted in June 1915 and obtained employment as a motor lorry driver.

In January 1917 he was arrested by the Reading police for desertion and handed over to his regiment and was finally discharged from the Army in February 1919. In January 1920 he became a chauffeur to a man that ran Sutton's Seeds, and for some months prior to 22 December 1921 he had been with him at Bournemouth.

His employer had resided at the Carlton Hotel and his car was kept at the Portman Mews Garage.

On 20, 21 and 22 December 1921, telegrams were handed in at Bournemouth to women who were advertising in the Morning Post, for situations. The three telegrams were signed with bogus names and addresses, but were all undoubtedly in the same handwriting.

The telegram of 22 December 1921 was addressed to Irene Wilkins, who had that day advertised in the Morning Post for the post of lady cook. The telegram told her to come to Bournemouth by the 4.30 train and that a car would meet the train.

The telegram had read:

Irene Wilkins replied to the telegram, stating that she was coming by the train stated.

Shortly after 3pm she left for Waterloo to begin her journey. However, it was noted that about a quarter of an hour after she left that a notice was received at her home to the effect that her telegram had not been  delivered as the address was unknown. It was noted that it was in fact delivered to Beechhurst in Beechwood Avenue, which was the address of the invalid son of Thomas Allaway's employer. It had been received by the man's male nurse who returned it to the post office.

The train she took had been due in at 6.45pm but arrived at 7.03pm, and a man that had travelled in the same train said that he recalled seeing her put her head out of a carriage window at Bournemouth Central and ask a question of a porter. He said he recognised her by her chocolate brown suede hat with red ribbon inserted and the ends hanging on the left side, and added that she had had am attache case with her. The same man said he also saw a chauffeur outside the station, who he later identified as being Thomas Allaway, standing by a car and that as he left the station the car, with Thomas Allaway and Irene Wilkins on the front seat, passed him.

He noted that the train had arrived at 7.03pm and that the car would have passed him not later than 7.10pm.

Irene Wilkins was found dead the following morning at 7.30am in the field off Seafield Road near Ilford Bridge. Her body was found in the field at the corner of two roads by a Corporation worker that had been walking along Ilford Lane. He said that as he got to the junction of Ilford Lane with New Road and Seafield Road, that he noticed some cows in the corner of the field apparently smelling something and that as he went closer he found that it was the body of a woman lying on her back. He then went for the police.

Her body was found at a point in Seafield Road that could have been reached in the car from the station, driven at 18mph, in about 10 minutes.

Police examination found that she had been dead for some hours and that there were several deep wounds on her face and head and that her skirt was disarranged, showing her legs to a few inches above her knees. She was fully dressed and her body was lying just in the field, about 15ft from a wire fence in an easterly direction. Along the grass from the fence to where her body lay, there was a quantity of blood that commenced just outside the fence and on the pathway by the fence the gravel showed signs of disturbance as though by a struggle. A woman's umbrella, the handle of which was bloodstained, was found leaning by the fence and there were bloodstains on the fence.

Then, in the roadway there were recent tracks of a motor car tyred with Dunlop-Magnum covers, size, 820 x 120, and it was thought that, judging from the tracks, that the car had apparently stopped near the footpath where the sign of the struggle was. The tyre track was spotted by a man that had been an expert and happened to be there.

It was stated that the tyre marks were quite distinct at the time of the discovery of the body, but that under the influence of the morning’s drying wind, they had quickly become much fainter, whilst passing traffic had also helped to obliterate them.

As such, it was deduced from these observations, that Irene Wilkins had been removed from the car there and that a slight struggle had taken place on the footpath and that she had been knocked down and murdered by a heavy blunt instrument whilst in a recumbent position, as there were no signs of blood on the front of her clothing, and then dragged on her back into the field where her body was found.

Irene Wilkins's hat was found on a gorse bush close to the road, near to where the struggle had taken place.

Her skull had been fractured with several blows of an instrument like a hammer or possibly a spanner.

There was no injury to her private parts, and her hymen was intact. However, there was extensive stains of blood on her drawers, which had no central opening, and it was suggested by the judge that her assailant had attempted to complete his purpose whilst she was injured and dead or dying.

The man that had seen Irene Wilkins at the railway station made his statement to the police on 24 December 1921. However, on 4 January 1922, whilst he was driving to catch a morning train at Bournemouth, he saw the same car as he had seen before pass him, being driven by Thomas Allaway, and he told his son, who was with him, to make a note of the number of the car, LK7405, and on 6 January 1922 he gave a statement to that effect to the police.

However, the police appeared to have overlooked that valuable clue until about sometime around the end of April 1922, when on going over the communications they had received, they found his statement.

Up to that time the police had not made any detailed or particular inquiry with regard to Thomas Allaway's movements on the evening of 22 December 1921, or his possible connection with the crime.

However, it was noted that Thomas Allaway had been questioned by the police shortly after the murder, but that he had told the police that he had not been out with the car after 6pm. Further, when the police had gone to the garage where the car had been kept, that the garage keeper had told them that the car in question had not been out, stating:

As such, at the time, that information was said to have satisfied the police with regards to Thomas Allaway's involvement. However, it was later noted that if the police had checked his handwriting at that time, they already had the evidence of the telegrams and could then have made a more certain connection between him and the murder.

During the investigation the police had identified the three telegrams as having been connected and had by 6 January 1922 put up posters around Bournemouth appealing for anyone that could identify it to come forward. It was additionally noted that from around the same time that Thomas Allaway had started to change his handwriting.

further, around that time, it was reported that the police had been working on the practical certainty that the car involved had not been owned locally, stating that each local car had been examined and its movements on the night inquired into.

On 31 December 1921 Irene Wilkins's attache case, which she had taken with her, was found in a bush opposite the house La Chumine, and it was later proved that Thomas Allaway had driven past that spot that day. The house had been in Western Road, Branksome Park and was occupied by the sister-in -law of Thomas Allaway's employer who later told the police that Thomas Allaway drove him there on 23 December 1921 in the afternoon.

Further, a male attendant that looked after the employer's invalid son said that Thomas Allaway had shown him the place where the attache case was found when they were out driving his patient and that he had informed him that it was where he had backed his car to turn it.

In April 1922, Thomas Allaway absconded with his employer's cheque-book and cashed certain cheques. He had also stolen two watches from the car and a gold bracelet, which his wife pledged in London.

He was arrested in Reading on 6 May 1922 and on search of his lodgings, a letter, and several post cards were found, addressed to his wife when he had been in the Army of Occupation on the Rhine.

However, Thomas Allaway disputed having written the letter, although the police report noted that it had been undoubtedly written by him, and his claim that it had been written for him by someone else when he had hurt his hand broke down completely.

He had had to admit writing the post cards.

A comparison of the letter and the post cards, and an admitted application for a motor licence, with the three telegrams, left no doubt that Thomas Allaway had been the writer of the telegrams.

When he made a statement, he said:

Evidence was heard from several postal telegraphist at Boscombe Post Office:

The first postal telegraphist recalled a telegram being handed in to her on 17 December 1921 at 1.33pm, that being a reply to an advertisement in the Morning Post of that date, signed Mrs Cooper. The postal telegraphist said that she recalled the telegram because the spelling was very bad and because she had asked the sender if it was a sufficient address, which the sender had replied:

The postal telegraphist described the sender of the telegram as being a man a little taller than herself, about 5ft 6in, and that he had been dressed in a chauffeur's uniform and had a hat with a shiny peak.

The second postal telegraphist on 20 December recalled a telegram being handed in at Bournemouth Post Office at 2.56pm. It had been signed, 'Butler, Boscombe Grange', and had also been in answer to an advertisement appearing in that days Morning Post. The postal telegraphist that took it said that the sender had been a man about 30 years of age, 5ft 6in tall, with a dark complexion and dressed as a chauffeur. She added that she recalled the telegram because she had had to query the word 'car', and that the man answered in a peculiarly rough voice:

The third telegram, on 22 December 1922, was handed in at Boscombe Post Office at 10.15am, and was also in reply to an advertisement in the Morning Post, and was noted as having been in similar handwriting to the other two telegrams. It had been signed, 'Wood, Beach House'. However, the postal telegraphist that took the telegram said that she remembered nothing of the person that handed it in.

Following the developments relating to the sending of the telegrams, the police said they had obtained a fairly complete description of the man they were looking for. They said that he was dressed as a chauffeur, aged about 30, about 5ft 5in tall, with black hair, very dark brown eyes, a sallow complexion, clean shaven, with a broad face and a Jewish nose. His uniform was described as being a blue suit and cap with a peak, black boots and leggings and a fawn-coloured overcoat. He was also described as having spoken with a Welsh accent.

Irene Wilkins's brother said that after Irene Wilkins posted her advertisement in the Morning Post on 22 December 1921 that she received a telegram at about 11.45am that same day signed, 'Wood, Beach', and that Irene Wilkins sent a reply to the address given, but that it was returned undelivered.

Witnesses as to the identification of Thomas Allaway as a man that had bought copies of the Morning Post were found at two shops.

The first was a newsagent at 266a Christchurch Road in Boscombe, who said that he recollected seeing a man between 30 and 40 years of age with deep brown eyes and clean shaven, purchasing a Morning Post at his shop between 9.30am and 10am on 19 and 21 December 1921. He added that he also remembered another man about 30 years old, with a dark complexion, clean shaven and dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform, with peak cap, purchasing a Morning Post sometime during the morning.

The second was a licenced victualler that had been in Samway's Shop a few days before Christmas, who said that he remembered seeing a man who was dressed in chauffeur's clothes. He said that someone in the shop said:

And that he looked up and noticed the man.

Another witness, a local agent for Brookes Bonds Tea, who had had two vans at the Portman Mews garage where the car in question was kept said that he recalled seeing Thomas Allaway changing tyres on his master's car. He said that it had been about 9am and that he had asked him whether he was going away for Christmas, but didn't remember his reply.

Following Thomas Allaway's arrest, he was put up for identification along with a number of other men, all wearing chauffeurs uniforms. He was identified by the following:

1. The first postal telegraphist identified him as the man that sent the telegram on 17 December 1921.
2. The second postal telegraphist identified his voice as being that of the man that send the telegram on 20 December 1921.
3. He was identified by the man that ran Samway's Shop as well as the licenced victualler that had been in the shop, who had both seen the man buying the Morning Post some days before Christmas.
4. He was also recognised by the man that had seen him drive Irene Wilkins away from the railway station.

The police report noted that since suspicion had been placed on him that Thomas Allaway had obviously attempted to disguise his handwriting, notably by adopting a more upright style, however, it was noted that the resemblances were still very marked, which was evidenced by a man's careful analysis of the handwriting evidence.

At the trial, it was reported that the case for the prosecution rested mainly upon a body of circumstantial evidence connecting him with the crime, that being:

1. The three telegrams proved to have been despatched from Bournemouth in one of which was an invitation to Miss Wilkins  to come by the 4.30 train on 22 December. There being evidence that the three telegrams had been in the writing of Thomas Allaway.
2. The fictitious address given on the Wilkins telegram might have been suggested by the address of Thomas Allaway's employer's son, namely, Beechurst, Beechwood Avenue, an address at which Thomas Allaway had constantly to call.
3. The identity of Thomas Allaway as the man who met with a car the 4.30 train. That evidence rested upon the identification by the man that had been at the station who purported to identify Irene Wilkins by her clothing and Thomas Allaway by his face, and also the car by its distinctive character. It was noted that the car had also been identified as having been at the station by two other witnesses who had also been there to meet the 4.30 train, and that a third witness had recalled seeing Thomas Allaway at the station at that time.
4. The identity of Thomas Allaway as the man that sent the telegrams, it being noted that in particular there was the evidence of the woman that took the second telegram from him dated 20 December.
5. The evidence of identity of the car was further supported by the evidence that the tracks of a motor car near the scene of the crime were those of Dunlop-Magnum tyres with which the car in question was fitted, at any rate on the back wheels.
6. There was evidence from one witness to show that Thomas Allaway was seen on 25 December changing his tyres at the garage, it being noted that that was the day after the description of the tyre track found at the crime scene appeared in the newspaper.
7. There was a small point that Thomas Allaway was seen to purchase a copy of the Morning Post in which the advertisement appeared and to which the three telegrams sent were replies.
8. Thomas Allaway's alibi and account of his movements made after his arrest in writing, was not borne out by the facts proved by the prosecution or of his own witnesses. It was stated that it appeared that Thomas Allaway could satisfactorily account for his time after about 8.30 when he said he went to the Salisbury Hotel, but noted that Irene Wilkins, having arrived at 7.03, the murder could easily have been committed, the car then returned to the garage and Thomas Allaway arrive at the Salisbury Hotel, all within an hour of the arrival of the train. It was noted that the account that he gave was apparently reliable as from 8.30pm onwards, but that the period 6pm to 8.30pm  was not established by him. It was also noted that the pictures opened at 6pm and that it was possible that his wife had left him soon after 6pm to go to the picture house, and not at 6.45pm or 7pm, as she had said. The strongest point in his favour was noted as being the statement of the garage man that said he remembered seeing Thomas Allaway putting away his car at about 6pm on the evening of 22 December 1922, adding that he knew that the car was there when he left at 7pm. However, it was noted that an examination of Thomas Allaway's statement, particularly as to his movements at the Working Mens' Conservative Club, appeared to be untrue, or at any rate to have differed widely from another witnesses description of what took place at the club.

As such, it was noted that there was a prima facie case against Thomas Allaway, although it was difficult to suggest any definite motive for the crime.

The strength of the case on that point was described as having been very fairly put by the judge in his summing up.

In his summing up, he asked the jury to consider the following six questions:

1. Is there any doubt that the same persons sent all three telegrams?
2. Is there any doubt that they were sent for the purpose of luring young women to Bournemouth for an unlawful purpose?
3. Is there any doubt that the person who sent the telegrams on December 22 would be at the station with a car to meet the 4.30 train?
4. Is there any doubt that the person who would meet the deceased and driver her away in the car was the person who committed the murder?
5. Is there any doubt that the person who committed the murder took away the attache case and hid it where it was found at Branksome Park.
6. Is there any doubt that the car which took the deceased to the scene of the murder, had, upon it a Dunlop Magnum tyre on the near side?

The judge then went on to note that one of the most important features of the case was the handwriting, but noted that he didn't think that a spelling mistake, said to have been common between the letter and how Thomas Allaway wrote was of any importance. The judge then asked the jury whether they had any doubts  as to whether the disputed letter was in Thomas Allaway's writing, and then said that they had to then ask themselves why he had denied it, and whether they could rely on everything he said regarding his movements.

Thomas Allaway asserted his innocence at the trial, and his defence was one of alibi, it being noted that the times were important.

It was noted that assuming that the car had left the Central Station about 7.10pm, it could have reached the spot on Seafield Road in 10 minutes, and that from that point, Portman Mews, where Thomas Allaway would house the car for the night, would take little more than 10 minutes. Thus, he might have had half an hour in which to struggle with Irene Wilkins and complete the crime, and yet be back at the garage by 8pm.

It was noted that, apart from the evidence of himself and his wife, which, if true, would render it impossible for him to be the culprit, all the other witnesses to the alibi only spoke to times after 8pm, when they were supposed to have seen Thomas Allaway at the club, or elsewhere.

It was also noted that there was some evidence as to the practice of locking up the garage, to show that it was impossible for Thomas Allaway to have taken out the car unknown to the proprietor of the garage, but that evidence, besides being weak and uncertain in itself, was entirely discounted by the fact that along Thomas Allaway's possessions, they found a key that unlocked the padlock of the garage.

It was further noted that the car had been a Mercedes of somewhat unusual appearance, and that there was no doubt that on the night in question it had had one or more Dunlop Magnum tyres on it.

It was also noted that the man that saw the car at the station had been a motor designer and engineer, making his evidence more reliable.

There was also a considerable body of evidence of identification of Thomas Allaway by Post Office clerks as to the handing in of the telegrams, and also the newspaper seller who sold Thomas Allaway a copy of the Morning Post on the morning of 22 December 1921.

Thomas Allaway was convicted at the Winchester Assizes on 7 July 1922 and sentenced to death.

The police report following his conviction to the Home Secretary stated that there could be no possible doubt as to Thomas Allaway's guilt and concluded that in their opinion that it was a case in which it was clear that the law should be allowed to take its course.

However, it was noted that considerable weight rested on the identification of the handwriting by the expert witness and noted that he was known to have made mistakes before, it being recalled that in forgery case in 1905 at the Old Bailey his evidence had not been allowed.

However, there were some who described the evidence as circumstantial, and even at the time of the trial suggested that there might have been other parties involved and that Thomas Allaway had simply been acting under the instructions of others in delivering girls and had later under their instruction got rid of Irene Wilkins.

It was further noted that after he was found guilty and was asked whether he had anything to say why sentence should not be carried out on him, he had said:

Which it was claimed indicated that he had been shielding someone up to that point, but when faced with the black cap he had momentarily forgotten his role.

Thomas Allaway was executed at Winchester on 19 August 1922.