How
it all began…
It was Mark Galloway who founded the ‘Cloak & Dagger Club’ way back in
1994. His first real interest in ‘Jack’ came about when, as a
twelve-year-old boy,“ I came across
a book in my local library on the history of the Metropolitan Police. I
can’t remember the title or the author, but it had a whole chapter on
the Whitechapel Murders and Jack the Ripper. What really got me hooked,
was the fact that they never caught the killer.” It was years
later that Mark (who was born & bred in the East End of London) decided
to follow up his interest. Together with some like-minded people, Mark
decided on a gathering for a discussion on Jack the Ripper. Gradually
the idea consolidated into the notion of a regular club, with membership
list, meetings and a guest speaker to give a lecture or talk at each
one. An ambitious beginning, but the ‘Cloak and Dagger club’ was born.
Mark has said recently, “I must
admit that when I first started it, I didn’t think anyone would turn up
at the first meeting at ‘The Alma’ pub, but I was pleasantly surprised
when the moment came and we had a full house. The meetings from then on
were always full.”
At that very first meeting, the guest speaker was Paul Feldman, which
helped in getting things off to a great start! Mark also decided on the
inclusion of a ‘Newsletter’ and this he would distribute during the
break of the speaker’s talk. This was the beginning of what would become
the highly respected magazine
‘Ripperologist – The
Magazine of the Cloak and Dagger Club.’
By edition (8) of the Ripperologist, Paul Daniel had taken over as
editor. A decision was then taken to hold six meetings & produce six
magazines per year. Paul was worried at the time that he would not be
able to produce the goods and later stated, “Should
I have worried? Not a bit! Throughout the year, each issue grew in size,
and we had no lack of contributors with article of every description,
from well-known authors to amateurs trying their hands (and often very
good ones) for the first time. ”
Eventually, the ‘Cloak and Dagger Club’ moved from the ‘Alma’ to the
‘City Darts’ public house in Commercial Street, E1. Paul Daniel
explained, “Some of our members were
a bit sad at leaving the somewhat bleaker atmosphere of the ‘Alma,’ but
the general consensus was favourable.” The club continued to
develop and attracted some excellent speakers with the likes of Nick
Warren, Paul Begg, Martin Fido, Stuart P. Evans, Don Rumbelow, Robin
Odell. William J. Fishman - the list goes on and on!
I recently asked Mark Galloway his high & low points during his time
with the club and Mark said, “The
highest point for me, must have been the first meeting. Because after
all the preparations trying to get the club off the ground, getting
people interested, looking for a venue to hold meetings, booking
speakers etc. All the hard work paid off and I met some very nice people
through the club, who are still members and some who are not, but whom
I’m still in contact with. The lowest point for me must be the time when
I walked away from the club. I regret doing it now, because not only did
I look at the club as my baby, but I also feel that I let a lot of
people down.”
The
Whitechapel Society today
In 2005, a major decision
was taken to change the direction of ‘The Cloak and Dagger Club.’ The
club and The Ripperologist had, some time before, made an amicable
decision to go their separate ways and it was felt that the club had
‘lost it’s way’ somewhat. Since becoming
‘The Whitechapel Society 1888,’ we have attracted a full
programme of excellent speakers and our new ‘Whitechapel Journal,’ under
the editorship & production of Adrian Morris & Frogg Moody respectfully,
has received excellent reviews. Today the Whitechapel Society of London
faithfully continues the tradition started by that small group of
enthusiasts over ten years earlier. Interest in Jack the Ripper
world-wide remains as strong as ever, and the Society's membership
embraces people from all walks of life and from every part of the globe.
The Whitechapel Society is
open to all comers – all that is required is an interest in Jack the
Ripper and his world. Mark Galloway is now ‘Lifelong Honorary President’
of The Whitechapel Society and I’ll leave the last words to him.
“I want to see the Whitechapel Society
getting bigger and better. I think the Society is important. It has a
lot to offer people, the East End & Ripperology.”
Frogg Moody.