This has got to be one of my favourite research finds. It started with a death certificate for Anthony Golding who died in St Martin’s Hospital in 1940, aged 40. Here he is in the 1939 Register:
13 Widcombe Crescent, Bath
Anthony Golding-Wise (39) b 27 Dec 1899 occ Advertising Agent (Traveller)
Marie A. Golding-Wise (34) b 25 Nov 1905 occ Manageress, Dry cleaners
Unusually, I could not find any records for him in the censuses for 1921, 1911, and 1901. Doing a newspaper search, the first thing to come up was a report of Golding’s death (extract pictured) which refers to him being in prison and the “Wiltshire Directories Frauds” – intriguing.
He’s described as an established antiques dealer, when the previous year he was a commercial traveller selling advertising. The article also has some background – born in Nottingham, orphaned as a child. And “He became involved in the Wilts. Directories case through a chance conversation in a restaurant, and without realising the character of the people he was dealing with.” I’m tempted to think, he would say that wouldn’t he.
So what were the Wiltshire Directories case and how was Golding involved? It’s all reported in the Bath Chronicle and indeed national newspapers as well, such was the notoriety of the case. It was a complex 6-week trial of a network of 19 fraudsters (17 men and two women) who conned thousands of pounds out of un-suspecting business owners by selling them listings in non-existent trade directories.
Golding’s occupation in 1939, Advertising Agent (Traveller), is therefore accurate – it’s just that the advertisement listings he sold were bogus. His wife Marie was manageress of Nu-Way cleaners, 6 Bridge Street – there is no suggestion that her shop was any kind of ‘front’ for criminality, and she was not involved in what he was up to.
The case is first reported in October 1939, when five men were before the Malmesbury magistrates on charges of conspiracy to defraud; two are remanded in custody and three bailed, including ‘Arthur’ Golding (this will be the first of many alternative names). In November, more people are charged and bailed, bringing the total to 10 (9 men and one woman, Mrs Alice Cunningham). They come from all over the UK – Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Edmonton, and Bath. Later another 9 people are charged. The other woman was Miss Robina Bayley, also known as Bobbie Deane “well-known West End photographer’s model”. She was described as a “seasonal mannequin, showing off beach wear” – titillating detail which was a gift to newspaper reporters: one refers to her dying her hair platinum blonde, with the suspicion that this was to disguise herself.
In January 1940, the trial starts. Golding was arrested on suspicion of defrauding the cashier of a firm in Cheddar of £176 for advertisements in alleged directories (he is now referred to as ‘Anthony’). The firm’s cashier, Mr Long, said his firm received a £195-15s invoice from ‘Amalgamated Directories Ltd’, with a London address, for multiple insertions of advertisements in their publications. The letter said ‘Mr Edwards’ would call for payment. It was speedily followed by a telephone call asking for the cheque to be sent to ‘E. Edwards, Poste Restante, Bristol’ (to be called for at the Post Office). Mr Long understandably thought this was odd and didn’t want to post such a huge cheque to a vague address (value about £8,000 today). Instead he waited for ‘Mr Edwards’ to call – and meanwhile informed the police.
In due time ‘Mr Edwards’ – Anthony Golding – arrived at the firm’s office and was shown into the waiting room, in which sat Detective Constable Herbert Johnson of Chippenham CID (in plain clothes, posing as an employee of the firm) who promptly arrested him. The premises at 6 Bridge Street were searched (poor Marie, trying to run an honest business managing the dry cleaners) and incriminating evidence was found including letters from another of the accused instructing Golding to visit numerous towns across the country – his ‘commercial travelling’ was far and wide.
At the trial, many other firms gave statements about similar dealings with others of the accused. In almost every case, witnesses were positive they had never signed an order or agreement for these advertisements, and it transpired they were forged signatures.
In May 1940 Anthony Golding is on the witness stand. Questions focused on the variety of different names he had used. On a visit to a firm with one of the accused, Bailey, Bailey had introduced Golding as ‘Mr Jones’, leading to the following exchange in court:
Prosecuting Counsel: “Why had he allowed himself to be introduced by a false name?”
Golding: “I have been called thousands of different names”
Prosecuting Counsel: “And you did not mind?”
Golding: “I did not mind what they called me. What’s in a name after all?”
The sheer chutzpa of this – the audacity and nerve – is staggering. Golding was also asked about using the names ‘Anthony G. Wise’ and ‘T. Wise’. He explained cryptically that “he had adopted the name Wise for domestic reasons”.
When it came to sentencing, three were bound over (including the two women) and 16 were given between 6 months and 3 years. Golding got 6 months and it was stated that before he became embroiled in the fraud network he had been of good character. I’m not so sure; I have doubts about his story of being an orphan boy from Nottingham …
Golding was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Bristol. The research was done for the project to find out about people in the 20th century Jewish community in Bath, undertaken by the Friends of Bath Jewish Burial Ground of which I am a Trustee.
Ann Cullis, Museum volunteer and Trustee