Alan Hunter: Gently where the roads go

Report by Detective-Sergeant Felling, CID, Offingham Constabulary. As a result of a telephone call at 5.12 a.m. on Tuesday August 13th, I proceeded with Detective-Constables Rice and Freeman to the lay-by on the A1 road half a mile north of The Raven roadhouse. I was met there by Robert Arthur Goodings, a truck-driver, who had made the call. I saw there a green Commer 10-cwt. van, Registration Number 525 UAX, the property of Timoshenko Teodowicz, a registered alien residing at 3 Shorters Lane, Offingham, parked in the lay-by. The van was damaged, apparently by extensive fire from an automatic weapon. In the driving seat of the van was the body of a man with multiple bullet wounds. He was aged about fifty, about six feet in height, dark brown hair, pale grey eyes (apparently), and of powerful build. He was wearing a stained khaki jacket without shirt or vest and stained khaki drill trousers. From my personal knowledge I can identify him as Timoshenko Teodowicz, the owner of the van. I have recorded the dead man’s fingerprints for comparison with those in the registered alien file (attached).

Statement by Ove Madsen, truck-driver, 39, of 3a Shorters Lane, Offingham, witnessed by Detective-Sergeant Felling, CID, Offingham Constabulary. I am a Naturalized Englishman of Norwegian parentage. I am part owner of the transport business which was conducted by the dead man, Timoshenko Teodowicz, whose body I have seen and which I can identify. On Sunday August 11th I left Offingham at 10.45 p.m. with a consignment of electrical parts for John Mackenzie, Clydeside Quay, Glasgow, and I spent the night August 12th-13th at a lodging house at 57 Lockerbie Street, Clydebank (confirmed by Clydebank Cons., D.-S. Felling). I loaded a quantity of strip steel at Govan Mills, Govan and proceeded back to Offingham, arriving at 1 p.m. on Wednesday August 14th. I do not own a firearm. I do not and have never owned an automatic weapon. I do not and have never owned a Sten gun. I do not know of anybody owning a Sten gun. I do not know who would wish to kill Teodowicz. I do not know that I can benefit in any way by his death. I have to report that Teodowicz was visited on Saturday August 10th, at about 3.30 p.m., at our garage in Shorters Lane, by a man who spoke to him in Polish, and whom he took upstairs into his rooms, and who remained there about 30 minutes. I do not know this man. I did not pay much attention to him, only to him speaking to Teodowicz in Polish. He was about middle height, he was dressed neatly, I think he was wearing sunglasses. Teodowicz said nothing about him. I think he may have had a limp. I was working at the bench, which is why I did not notice him. He had a quiet, cultivated voice. He was about five feet nine or ten. He may have worn a felt hat. His complexion was pale. I do not think his ears stuck out. I did not notice the cheekbones. My impression was that he had a cultivated face. My impression was that he was in good circumstances. I did not notice his manner. That is all I know about him.

Medical Report by Police-Surgeon A. S. J. Kermode MD, M. Ch., Offingham Constabulary. Subject: male deceased delivered to me on the authority of Superintendent Whitaker. Subject aged c. 50, 6?1? in height, in good health, limited adipose tissue. Contents of stomach suggest a meal (eggs, chips, prepared starch, coffee) 4–5 hours before death. Time of death (per r.m.) between 01.00 hrs amp; 03.00 hrs Tues. Aug. 13th. Cause of death: multiple shot wounds. Extensive wounding of entire system above amp; including pelvic area on right side. Skull collapsed. Cage of thorax partly collapsed. Extensive damage to bony structure throughout area of wounding, too widespread to detail. Right arm severed above elbow. Left forearm variously penetrated. Vital organs, stomach, bowels, extensively damaged. I recovered 67 bullets amp; counted 92 individual wounds. Should estimate upward of 200 rounds were fired at close range (some signs of powder tattooing, facial tissue recovered amp; delivered with deceased). Per r.m. deceased was killed where found, or placed there shortly after death. Comment: In 30 years experience, including war service, I have never seen gunshot injuries such as these. Suggest revenge was clearly the motive, possibly related to some war crime committed by T. in his own country.

Report by Chief Inspector Hallam, Ballistics Dept., New Scotland Yard. Subject: 86 recovered bullets amp; 193 detonated shells submitted by Offingham Constabulary. Identification: 9 mm. rimless Parabellum pistol cartridge ammunition mfg. by B.S.A. 1944 amp; 5. Comparison of rifling amp; breech block marks indicate ammunition fired from Mk. 2 Sten automatic carbine. Ammunition amp; weapon from service sources, but quantities of these weapons lost, stolen or misappropriated during war.

Interim Report by Detective-Sergeant Felling, CID, Offingham Constabulary. As a result of investigation to date by myself amp; Detective-Constables Rice amp; Freeman I have to report that we have obtained no information which might lead to the identification of the murderer of Timoshenko Teodowicz. The search of the premises in Shorters Lane undertaken by us brought to light nothing of significance. We have been unable to find witnesses to testify to seeing anything suspicious in the neighbourhood where the crime was committed, or to hearing shots fired at the relevant time on Aug. 13th. According to Sheila Packman, waitress employed at The Blue Bowl Cafe, High Street, Offingham, the deceased called there, alone, at about 9.30 p.m., on Aug. 12th, and left when the cafe closed at 10 p.m., having ordered coffee, driving off in his van in the direction of the A1. We have been unable to find any witness who saw him later than this. We have been unable to trace the man said by Madsen to have visited Teodowicz. We have been unable to trace any connection between Teodowicz and two other men of Polish origin living in this area. We have been unable to trace any friends or intimate acquaintances of Teodowicz who (according to Madsen) lived very much to himself. We have questioned the three women indicated by Madsen as occasionally associating with Teodowicz (Frieda Hixon, Dolly Catchpole, Sybil Wright), but none of them admit having seen him later than Aug. 9th (Dolly Catchpole). We have obtained no information relating to the possession of Sten guns or ammunition. Our investigations show that Teodowicz’s transport business, employing two trucks and the van, was legitimate. He ran a current account with the High Street branch of Martin’s Bank, average level 3-400 pounds, containing 322 pounds 14 shillings and 7 pence at the time of his death.

Statement by Wanda Christine Lane, Proprietress of The Raven roadhouse, nr. Broadford Turn, Everham, witnessed by Detective-Constable Rice, CID, Offingham Constabulary. The deceased was a customer of mine from time to time. I did not know him except as a customer. I did not see him on the night of Monday August 12th. I think I last saw him on Thursday August 8th at about six p.m. when he pulled in his truck and stopped for a meal. I did not hear any shots fired on the night of August 12th-13th. I had nobody staying overnight on that night. I know the deceased’s partner, who is also a customer, but I do not know their friends. They are only customers.

Memo from Sir Clifford Batley, KBE, etc., Chief Constable of Offingham, to Superintendent Whitaker. I have read Felling’s Interim Report amp; quite agree that there is no point in holding on, especially with these political implications. I am quite satisfied that we have done the best we can with our resources. Hand it on to the Yard amp; the Special Branch.

And so it was noticed for a little while, that spot which was otherwise quite anonymous; shown in sketch maps in newspapers, stared at and stopped at by ten thousand drivers; though it was only one such spot out of the broad centuries of the Road, where death had visited every milestone with its sharp but brief focus. For one dies, but many live, and to live is to forget; who remembers the bludgeoned Celt, the plundered Roman, the stabbed Saxon? Who can show where Rouse murdered or where the masked figure pistolled a farmer? Other days, other deaths, other forgettings; but this the Road. Today a truth concealed in a headline, tomorrow but North and South again.