George Godley

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George Godley

George Albert Godley (31 October 1857 – 20 July 1941) was a police officer of the Metropolitan Police who was involved in the hunt for Jack the Ripper in 1888.[1]

Born at

Sergeant in London's J Division (Bethnal Green). He transferred to H Division (Whitechapel) where he assisted Inspector Frederick Abberline in the hunt for the killer. The Times
of 12 November 1888 reported:

"Since the murders in

Berner Street, St. Georges, and Mitre Square, Aldgate, on September 30th, Detective Inspectors Reid, Moore and Nairn, and Sergeants Thick, Godley, M'Carthy and Pearce have been constantly engaged, under the direction of Inspector Abberline (Scotland Yard), in prosecuting inquiries, but, unfortunately, up to the present time without any practical result. As an instance of the magnitude of their labours, each officer has had, on average, during the last six weeks to make some 30 separate inquiries weekly, and these have had to be made in different portions of the metropolis and suburbs. Since the two above-mentioned murders no fewer than 1,400 letters relating to the tragedies have been received by the police, and although the greater portion of these gratuitous communications were found to be of a trivial and even ridiculous character, still each one was thoroughly investigated. On Saturday (10th November) many more letters were received, and these are now being inquired into."[4]

When Godley arrested poisoner George Chapman in 1902 the then retired Inspector Abberline allegedly said "You have caught Jack the Ripper at last" or similar words.[1][5]

Godley retired on 20 January 1908 by which time he was an Inspector in K Division.[3] He died in July 1941 aged 83.

In 1881 he married Emma Adeline Mitchell (1863–1936). They had three children: Albert George Godley (1892–1972), Arthur Godley (born 1894) and Ella Adeline Godley (born 1897).

Sidney Frank Godley who won the Victoria Cross during World War I
.

In film and fiction

In the 1988 TV

Jack the Ripper starring Michael Caine Godley was played by Lewis Collins[6] and in the 2001 film From Hell, the character 'Peter Godley' played by Robbie Coltrane was based on George Godley.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Begg, Fido, and Skinner The Jack the Ripper A-Z
  2. ^ a b The Godley Family Tree on Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  3. ^
    The National Archives. Godley's details are listed on page 62. An image is available on flickr, and also a transcription
    .
  4. ^ The Times, "The Whitechapel Murder", Issue 32541, 12 November 1888, p. 6 col. C.
  5. ISBN 978-0-87338-861-0
    .
  6. Internet Movie Database
  7. Internet Movie Database

External links
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