Handsome Brute: The True Story of a Ladykiller (51 page)

I’ve nothing else to say except cheerio and thanks for all you’ve done for me.

In spite of Near’s pleadings, I have decided not to see either of you. Please understand won’t you? My thoughts are with you and you have all my love always.

Let’s carry this thing through to the end with the quiet dignity that we’ve shown all through.

Goodbye and bless you darling Mother,

Always yours,

Nen

Pentonville Prison

Tuesday, 15th October 1946

My dear Mick,

Just a short note to let you know for the last time that your writing is abominable and your spelling even worse.

I won’t be seeing you again but perhaps in the days to come you’ll feel a friendly Gremlin ease your aircraft out of a sticky position. You may recognise the touch.

You’ll shortly be going into a damn good service. Your future is up to you. Don’t make the mistakes that I’ve made. If you get any urges in the wrong direction just say to yourself ‘Christ, I’ve seen the result of those’ and open your throttles and go round again. You know what I mean.

Use King’s Regulations and Air Council instructions as your Bible and stick to it. If you do that you won’t come unstuck. I’m more qualified to give advice than anyone else I know because I’ve learned all the lessons – and how! Now you take advantage of them. Ralph will always help you, never be too shy to ask him, so will any other Air Force pilot who knew me. You’ll find Air Force friendships mean something and they’re not easily broken.

Get your ‘A’ licence and go ahead. You can do great things, it’s in you and it’s up to you to do something to make Mother and Dad proud of you. By doing that, you’ll be helping me as well.

Cheerio Mick and very many happy landings. Don’t you bloody well let me down or I’ll haunt you, and I’ve a feeling I can be a most unpleasant ghost.

Ever yours,

Nen

Pentonville Prison

Tuesday evening, 15th October 1946

My Dearest Mother,

First of all very many thanks for your cable and also for Mick’s. I’ve written several letters to my friends and one more to Elizabeth, but I’d like the last to be written to you. I can’t say more than I said in my previous letter but I meant it wholeheartedly.

I shall probably stay up reading tonight because I’d like to see the dawn again. So much in my memory is associated with the dawn – early morning patrols and coming home from night clubs. Well, it wasn’t really a bad life while it lasted, and I’ve lots to think about.

Please don’t mourn my going – I should hate it – and don’t wear any black. I really mean that. Just wear your gayest colours and refer to me quite normally – that is the easiest way to forget.

So now I’ll leave you. Cheerio, my dear, and very many thanks for everything.

All my love is with you both always. Forever yours,

Nen
¹

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I
would like to thank the staff at the libraries and archives around the United Kingdom and in South Africa who have assisted me in my research. I am particularly indebted to the staff at The National Archives in Kew who have responded with patience and diligence to my many requests to have the various files relating to the case made available to study for the first time.

I am grateful to the London Metropolitan Archives, the London Library, the British Library, the British Newspaper Library at Colindale, the staff at the Archives of the Imperial War Museum, the RAF Museum at Hendon, the Museum of Wimbledon, Melvyn Foster at the Association of Wrens, Charlotte Burford and Julia Collins at Madame Tussaud’s, Professor John Moxham at King’s College Hospital, Martin Hayes at Worthing Library, Jonathan Oates at Ealing Library, the Lincolnshire County Archives, the Nottinghamshire County Archives, the Sheffield Local History Library, the
Sheffield Telegraph
, the
Harrow Observer
and the
Bournemouth Echo.
Peter Kazmierczak at Bournemouth Library provided guidance and provided photographs from the local history archive. Hazel Ogilvie was particularly helpful at the Local History Library in Harrow, researching the movements of the Marshall family during the war. Matthew Piggott at Surrey History Centre helped to investigate the archives of Rutlish School. I’m grateful to Graham W. Mills, a governor at Rutlish and the current headmaster, Mr A. Williamson, for allowing me access to the school archive. Peter Elliot at the RAF Museum in Hendon very kindly read and advised about the RAF sections.

In South Africa, I am indebted to Anne Clarkson, who accessed a large volume of new material relating to Heath’s marriage and his tenure with the South African Air Force in the archives held in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.

For access to the remaining evidence from the case at the Crime Museum – including Heath’s suitcase, his ‘escape scarf ’ and whip – I am indebted to Paul Bickley and Camilla O’Hare at New Scotland Yard. Crime historian and researcher, Keith Skinner, has been extremely helpful and encouraging as well as being a mine of information and contacts. He has generously shared his own documents and research about the case from his archive.

Donald Thomas, who wrote the last major study of Heath twenty-five years ago, shared his insights into the case and his memories of the period. Dr Paul Addison, Juliet Gardiner, Roger Hollinghurst, Alwyn Liddell, Matthew Lloyd, Don Minterne, Tim McInerny, David Pirie, Martin Ridgwell, Geoff Sherratt and René Weis all offered help and advice at various stages in the inception and writing of this book, for which I’m very grateful.

Despite the horrific nature of Heath’s story, several people have welcomed me with great enthusiasm to the many buildings where significant events took place. Early on in my research, Jay and Lucy Dowle invited me to visit them at the Heaths’ former home at Merton Hall Road, as did Julie Williams, who allowed me to visit the Marshall family home in Pinner. Liliya Guzheva, Jamison Firestone and Robert Field generously allowed me to visit the scene of the crime at the former Pembridge Court Hotel. In Bournemouth, Nick the caretaker at Tollard Court, allowed me to spend time in the former Tollard Royal Hotel where many of the interiors in the public spaces of the building have remained unchanged. I was also welcomed to the Norfolk Royale Hotel (the former Norfolk Hotel) by the current manager, Simon Scarborough. I’d like to thank Matt Evans who accompanied me on a trip to Bournemouth to visit the scene of the crime at Branksome Dene Chine. David McRae, the manager of the Strand Palace Hotel, showed me Room 506, which still remains, as well as providing photographs from the hotel archive.

Michael Suter kindly shared memories of his father with me. Julia Young, the niece of Doreen Marshall, has been hugely generous with her recollections of Doreen’s parents and her sister, Joan. I am indebted to the remaining members of Neville Heath’s family who, despite their reluctance to explore a difficult area of their family history, agreed to meet me to discuss it.

Jackie Malton has offered support, insight and practical help from the start of this venture for which I am very grateful. I’m also indebted to Sarah Waters for her help and advice. My agent, Judith Murray, has championed this book since she read my first tentative pages and I am grateful for her encouragement and support throughout. Mike Jones at Simon & Schuster enthusiastically embraced the idea and I have been greatly supported by Jo Whitford and Lindsay Davies who have worked with me on the text.

Rob Haywood has been patient, supportive and encouraging throughout the gestation and realization of this book for which I’m hugely grateful.

My greatest debt, though, is to Melody Gardner, who has not spoken publicly about her family history for nearly seventy years. Despite the painful material, Melody has embraced the revelations I have put before her with extraordinary fortitude and open-mindedness. She has offered unique insights into three generations of Sheffield women: her redoubtable grandmother, Betty Wheat, her mother Margery Gardner and, indeed, her own life. She has encouraged the writing of this book, whilst always retaining distance from it. For me, enabling Melody to read her mother’s story from original documents, rather than filtered through biased and erroneous newspaper reports, has been a great privilege. I hope she feels that her mother’s tragic story has been told honestly, fairly and – at last – with understanding and compassion.

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