SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

jim wrote: The Bridge End Post Office has been on at least three sites since 1900. Godfreys map of 1906 shows it some four shops further west than its position on the map posted by Tasa on 22/04/2009 on this thread. That map appears to date from before 1959. At some later date the Post office was moved across to the eastern side of Bridge End. As one who regularly frequented the Bridge End Cafe in the 1960s, my memory is that the attack took place at this east side site, but I could be mistaken. Thanks Jim....

I remember the incident well as I was a bus driver on Leeds City Transport at the time and drove buses that went up and down Briggate. Yes the police did stop buses a week after the murder to try and jog peoples memory trams, had stopped in 1959.In the newspapers the said that the Sharp`s had a fourteen year old daughter who would be sixty now. I often wondered if anyone was charged with the murder, someone said it was The Black Panther he used to rob Post Offices and came from this area.

iansmithofotley wrote: Hi littleruins,In the late 1960's and early 1970's. I was a young detective in the Leeds Crime Squad and I had to interview a man in connection with the undetected Warner Murder. From memory, I think that the Police response was due to some anonymous letters being sent to 'The Head of the C.I.D., Leeds' (who at the time was Det. Ch. Supt. Dennis Hoban). I can't remember the details but I worked with Det. Con. John Stockwell (who I have mentioned in another thread on Post Office Murders) and we traced the man and interviewed him. There was no evidence whatsoever to connect him to the murder.The funny thing for me was that I was about twenty four years old at the time and I was interviewing a man for a murder which had occurred when I was only one year old.Ian Hi Ian,Apologies for the year-late reply! Were there ever any reliable leads to the case? What were the letters about?Henry's daughter passed away a few years ago at the age of 100- it is such a shame that in all those years there was never any justice for her fathers murder.

Misc wrote:Does anybody remember the fatal shooting of a female postal assistant on Cross Heath Grove in Beeston? I believe it was on June 9, 1966.All the internet has shown me is an entry from Hansard in 1967 (but I am not particularly skilled at searching).Will be seeing what I can find out at the library but wondered if it rang a bell with anybody here.    

I was a young PC (old Leeds City Force) At Hunslet Station. That day in 1966 I was riding a "Noddy Bike".. (Velocett 200cc motorbike) and we had to make "points" on a certain minute in the hour. These were usually Telephone boxes as (in the days before personal radios) the control room (and shift Sergeant) knew where you would BE on your beat at certain times of the day. If they wanted you they could ring the phone, (yes honestly,that was the old Communications) and the sergeant or shift inspector would often be there without notice to 'make sure' that you "kept your point" If you didn't (without good excuse) then you were in hot water.

On the afternoon of that shooting Leeds Bridge telephone box was my point, at almost the exact time that the shooting happened, THERE, at Leeds bridge Post office, NOT at Cross Heath Grove.. I should have been there TOO, sat outside the phone box on my motor cycle at almost the exact time the robber left the post office. There's no doubt in my mind at all that if I HAD been there on time I would have almost certainly have got the 2nd barrel of the shotgun as I pulled up on a police Motorbike, as he had killed once. The only reason I didn't loose my life 60 years ago was that I was already a little late for the point and panicking as I flew down Hunslet Road, (as I didn't want to get "done" if a sergeant was waiting there for me).. I saw some travellers pass in a Transit Van and as I knew the driver wasn't insured I turned around and went after them, stopping them for a road check and reported him.. As I was putting the Van details in my pocket book (My good excuse for being late on my point) All hell broke loose on the VHF bike radio. I got there about ten minutes after the incident. But for the Travellers Transit Van passing me I would have got there just as he came out, and I've no doubt that I would have been his 2nd victim that day.

Misc wrote:Does anybody remember the fatal shooting of a female postal assistant on Cross Heath Grove in Beeston? I believe it was on June 9, 1966.All the internet has shown me is an entry from Hansard in 1967 (but I am not particularly skilled at searching).Will be seeing what I can find out at the library but wondered if it rang a bell with anybody here.    

I was a young PC (old Leeds City Force) At Hunslet Station. That day in 1966 I was riding a "Noddy Bike".. (Velocett 200cc motorbike) and we had to make "points" on a certain minute in the hour. These were usually Telephone boxes as (in the days before personal radios) the control room (and shift Sergeant) knew where you would BE on your beat at certain times of the day. If they wanted you they could ring the phone, (yes honestly,that was the old Communications) and the sergeant or shift inspector would often be there without notice to 'make sure' that you "kept your point" If you didn't (without good excuse) then you were in hot water.

On the afternoon of that shooting Leeds Bridge telephone box was my point, at almost the exact time that the shooting happened, THERE, at Leeds bridge Post office, NOT at Cross Heath Grove.. I should have been there TOO, sat outside the phone box on my motor cycle at almost the exact time the robber left the post office. There's no doubt in my mind at all that if I HAD been there on time I would have almost certainly have got the 2nd barrel of the shotgun as I pulled up on a police Motorbike, as he had killed once. The only reason I didn't loose my life 60 years ago was that I was already a little late for the point and panicking as I flew down Hunslet Road, (as I didn't want to get "done" if a sergeant was waiting there for me).. I saw some travellers pass in a Transit Van and as I knew the driver wasn't insured I turned around and went after them, stopping them for a road check and reported him.. As I was putting the Van details in my pocket book (My good excuse for being late on my point) All hell broke loose on the VHF bike radio. I got there about ten minutes after the incident. But for the Travellers Transit Van passing me I would have got there just as he came out, and I've no doubt that I would have been his 2nd victim that day.

Hi John,
You certainly had luck on your side that day! I was in Leeds at the time but don't recall the shooting incident. Fascinating to read about how police operated in those days with the noddy bikes and police call boxes. A school mate of mine joined Leeds police in 1966 and the last time I saw him was late one night in 67/68 on his noddy bike in Armley when I was pushing my mini to an all night petrol station. Always running out of gas in those days! I'll PM you with his name in case you recall him.

Hi John The Velocett 200cc motor bike was the quietest bike i had ever heard at that time you could not hear them coming, i would think that would be in your favor with the job you were doing sorry to go off the thread but it brought back many memory's i dont mean i was a wrong (un).