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Neal Shelden
Detective Sergeant
Username: Neal
Post Number: 147
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 5:07 pm: |       |
I have just found this piece about William Sedgwick Saunders (who was a witness at Catherine Eddowes Inquest)on page 21 of a brochure called 'The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium Newsletter' Issue 9 2004/5.
Crematorium Centenary Edition 1904-2004.
William Sedgwick Saunders was born in 1824 at Compton Giffard, near Tavistock in Devon, and was educated at King's College, London.
Aged 19, he started his medical training at St Thomas's Hospital and commenced practice in 1846. He then took up the post of Assistant Surgeon with the Royal Fusiliers and served with them in the West Indies and North Africa.
Another four years later he was appointed Medical Officer at the military prison at Fort Clarence, Rochester, then in 1851 was posted overseas when he became ill.
His bad health at this time proved to be a lucky escape. Hardly had he disembarked from his ship when it went down and all aboard were lost.
Saunders duly recovered and gave up the army life, resigned his commission and chose the quieter pace of private practice in the City of London. From 1874 until 1901 he was Medical Officer of Health and Public Analyst for the Commissioner of Sewers. He was also Adviser and Medical Officer to many of the leading insurance companies of the day. One of his greatest achievements was the tireless work he did to help eradicate the dreaded Cholera.
William died on the 18th of January 1901 and was buried at the City of London cemetery.
The day after his death, the City Press noted:
"To him we owe in a great measure the improvement that has taken place in the sanitary condition of the City in the past quarter of a century".
There is a large memorial to him in Chapel Avenue at the City of London cemetery. |
Christopher T George
Chief Inspector
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 751
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 11:42 am: | |
Good work, Neal. Thanks for this information on one of the figures in the case.
Chris |
Neal Shelden
Detective Sergeant
Username: Neal
Post Number: 149
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 3:19 pm: | |
Thanks Chris, the brochure gives thanks to the Corporation of London Records Office who probably provided much of the information.
Neal |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Inspector
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 355
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 10:06 pm: | |
Checking my HAYDN'S DICTIONARY OF DATES (1893 ed.), under the article "Wrecks", on page 1079,
it looks like the vessel that Saunders missed sailing on was H.M.S. Birkenhead, which left Queenstown for South Africa on January 7, 1852, and sank after colliding with a rock on Feb. 24,
1852. Of 638 on board 454 crewmen and soldiers died. The soldiers (headed for the Cape) were from the 12th Lancers, 2nd, 6th, 12th, 43rd, 45th and 60th Rifles, 73rd, 74th, and 91st Regiments. If this was the boat that Saunders was supposed to go aboard, then he was lucky to miss it. The reason for the loss of so many soldiers was heroic. It was from this disaster that the famous "Birkenhead Drill" ("Women and Children first!!") was created. The survivors were the wives and children of the soldiers, with some of the crewmen.
Jeff |
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