fbb has added present day bus route numbers in RED, for those who wish to match the ancient tale to modern transport.
Two Latvian immigrants, Messrs Hefeld and Lapidus, decided to augment their income by executing a spectacular wage heist. The cash was driven to J Schnurmann's rubber processing factory ...
... on Chesnut Road Tottenham (to the left of the tree) ...
... [note, not ChesTnut Road or even Cheshunt Road] in the owner's car and by the owner's chauffeur. The Latvians were armed and had plenty of ammunition. Unfortunately for the criminals, the building almost opposite the factory was the Police Station. [123, 149, 243, 259, 279, 318, 341, 349, 476, W4, N76, N279]
The boys in blue, also armed, gave chase almost immediately; but just off Chesnut Road tragedy struck when Ralph Joscelyne, aged 10, was fatally shot. He was delivering bread and was caught in the crossfire. This took place here ...
...on Mitchley Road. The chase continued across back yards and open land to the end of Park View Road and a footbridge over the railway north of Tottenham Hale station. It was that here the second tragedy took place. P.C. Tyler was fatally wounded.
You can glimpse the modern footbridge in front of the A1055 (Watermead Way 192) road bridge. An aerial view may help.
The chase continued across Pymmes Brook, across Chalk Bridge ...
... on the River Lea and over Walthamstow Marshes round the northern perimeter of Lockood Reservoir, opened in 1903.
Shooting continued along Billet Road [158, W11] and at the "Crooked Billet" ...
"Crooked Billet" in trolleybus days; now it is just a big roundabout!
... now just a busy junction with the North Circular Road, the offenders commandeered a tram and set off south on Chingford Road [34, 97, 215, 357, N26]. The police also commandeered a tram going in the opposite direction and ordered it to run "wrong line" in hot pursuit. Ineffective shots were exchanged as the trams lumbered on.
At Farnan Avenue the Latvians abandoned the tram, ironically just a few yards short of the Walthamstow Municipal Tramway Company offices on Chingford Road.
As yet undeterred, the now-desperate murderers pressed on ...
... as we shall see tomorrow!
Next blog : due Sunday November 20th
Next blog : due Sunday November 20th
A gripping yarn - Can't wait for tomorrow's instalment. You know, this is becoming more exciting than the tabulations of South Yorkshire's timetable failings.
ReplyDeleteJust as excellently illustrated, but with the added bonus of gratuitous trolleybus pictures thrown in for good measure. Yummy!