| Birth: | 1891
Downham Market
Norfolk, England | | Death: | Sep. 27, 1927
Stapleford Abbotts
Essex, England | 
PC Gutteridge is famous in the annals of murders of British policemen mainly as a result of the final act of barbarism before his killers fled the scene of the crime. They were from a society which believed that the eyes retained the image last seen, hence, although he was already dead, they shot him through the eyes. Additionally his murder led to the introduction of the 999 call and was famous also because, for the first time, conviction was secured by ballistics evidence.The brutal killing of "village Bobby" George Gutteridge shocked the nation, and within a few hours Scotland Yard were on the case. On the left side of George's face there were two holes which were consistent with the entry of two large bullets. On the right side of the neck were two exit wounds. Each eye had been shot away by two further bullets. At the crime scene two .45 bullets were prised from the road surface and at the subsequent post mortem two more bullets were recovered. The search for the killers extended over the whole country and even abroad, but it was not until January 1928 that evidence came to light to arrest the villains, Frederick Guy Browne and William Henry Kennedy who were tried at the Old Bailey. The jury found them both guilty under the doctrine of common purpose and as was becoming the norm, on 31st May 1928 they were executed at the same moment in separate prisons rather than side by side, Browne at Pentonville and Kennedy at Wansdworth. George had joined Essex County Constabulary in April 1910 and served as constable 489. After training he spent a brief period at Southend before moving to Romford and Grays. He resigned in April 1918 to enlist in the Machine Gun Corps; the Great European war was still raging with no end in sight. On 23rd February 1919 he rejoined Essex County Constabulary, returning initially to Grays, and then to Epping Division from 14th March 1922. He left a widow, Rose Annette Emmerline and two children, Alfred (known as Jack)and Muriel(she was subsequently laid to rest with her father).
Inscription:
' In proud memory of George William Gutteridge, Police Constable, Essex Constabulary, who met his death in the performance of his duty on September 27th 1927'.
| | | Burial:
Lorne Road Cemetery
Great Warley
Essex, England |
Created by: geoffrey gillon
Record added: May 16, 2011
Find A Grave Memorial# 69918228 |
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