Gordon. F. Cummin, who is equally cruel as Jack the Ripper or other serial killers like Harold Shipman, With millions of residents, it’s not surprising that the city has had its share of really terrible characters throughout the years, from professional criminals to serial killers.
Typically, the most heinous of them become famous for their atrocities, with serial murderers such as Jack the Ripper being difficult to ignore for city dwellers and beyond.
As a result, it may come as a surprise that a far more contemporary monster haunting the alleys of London is believed to have caused numerous fatalities than Jack, though in an equally cruel manner.
The History of Gordon. F. Cummin:
Between October 1941 and February 1942, the “Wartime Ripper” or “Blackout Ripper,” as he was more generally known, was believed to have killed up to six women, with two more fortunate enough to survive Gordon. F. Cummin was born in the city of Yorkshire in 1914, the oldest of four children.
After attending a private school in Wales, he worked in Newcastle, Northampton, and London. According to press accounts, he was fired from these positions due to his bad time management and his bizarre and fictitious claims to be a descendant of the nobility, desiring a comfortable lifestyle and wealth.
Gordon. F. Cummin frequently visited hotels and nightclubs in London’s West End, pretending to be the secret love child of a Lord, receiving an income but funding his dream by theft and larceny.
His ruse had progressed to the point where he had mastered an Oxford accent and demanded to be addressed as “the Honorable Gordon Cummin.” In 1936, he entered the RAF and was stationed at several stations due to his pompous attitude and claims to be an aristocrat.
This earned him the teasing nicknames “the Count” and “the Duke” throughout his many assignments.
Gordon. F. Cummin’s first alleged murder occurred in October 1941 while posted in Wiltshire, and he is accused of committing the horrible atrocities during nocturnal visits to London. Maple Churchyard, 19, was the first victim, discovered nude in a bombed-out home and strangled to death. Her purse had been emptied as well.
On October 17, four days after the first murder, Edith Humphries, 48, was discovered savagely assaulted in her own house in Regent’s Park.
Additionally, she had had jewelry taken, but there was no evidence of home invasion in the residence. Gordon. F. Cummin last four heinous deeds occurred over a terrifying six-day rampage in February 1942 when positioned at Regent’s Park, according to investigators.
Evelyn Hamilton, 41, was the first victim, discovered strangled on February 9.
As with the previous two killings, she had been robbed, with £80 stolen from her purse. Evelyn Oatley, 34, a club host who had resorted to sex work to boost her income, was discovered murdered and then horrifically disfigured by her murderer the following morning in her Soho apartment.
Margaret Lowe, 43, & Doris Jouannet, 32, were both traffickers who were killed in a similarly horrific and sadistic manner over the following two days, both bodies found within hours of one another on February 13.
The fact that the murderer usually stole money and valuable goods from his victims aided investigators in connecting the killings; they also observed that the attacker looked left-handed in each instance.
Due to the ongoing global war, the killings garnered little public attention at first, until it was discovered that four women had already been murdered in less than six days, at which time newspapers coined the term “Blackout Killer.”
However, Gordon. F. Cummin escaped in a hurry that evening after being interrupted when assaulting another lady, dropping behind the air force haversack, which could have been connected to him at the site of the attempted homicide.
Fortunately, this critical piece of evidence resulted in his arrest, and more investigation enabled charges against him in connection with all four February killings. Gordon. F. Cummin’s conviction and sentenced to death for one of the killings brought an end to the horrible chapter in London’s history.
The other three killings for which he was accused were ordered to be put on file, even though authorities were certain he was guilty. Gordon. F. Cummin, the Blackout Ripper, was assassinated on June 25, 1942.
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