An old article from Life Magazine published on the 24th of August 1953 related to the infamous Francasal ringer case at Bath racecourse that took place on Thursday July 16th 1953.
Interesting! I used to pass a turf accountant's shop called Kateley on my way home from school every day - late 60s,perhaps into the 70s. It was located in in a side door on the extreme left here His initial was R. according to directories.
Fascinating article, Burnsy. I used to have my hair cut almost opposite Kateley's as a schoolboy (not connected with Nancy). Harry was born Henry G in 1911. Harry Kateley died in 2000
It's an amazing coincidence that you had a link to Kateley's like that, and I bet at the time you used to pass by you never had a clue about Harry Kateley and the Francasal case. It's one of those stories that would be worthy of a film being made about it, there's quite a lot about it on the web, I found some interesting reading in Google Books too using the search terms "Harry Kateley" or "Francasal"... The welsh guy Gomer ended up being blasted by a shotgun on his doorstep one night just a few years after serving his sentence!
You obviously saw the very recent piece about the case here in the Daily Post (North Wales). The three year sentence fits in with Harry living in Chelmsford by 1958 - not a bad part of town at all. The South African born Essex Cricketer Ken McEwan used to be in the same road (or perhaps the next one) around 1980 with his personal liveried car parked outside.
Yes I did, in fact I saw two related stories in the Welsh press, one about the one that got away and the other maybe more about Gomer's killing. Harry Kateley seemed to be a high roller who very much liked the high life, maybe a bit of an Arthur Daley (George Cole) type character from the series Minder!
Colours registered for AH Williams (Kateley): Apple green, black crossbelts, sleeves and cap. Maurice Williams: Chocolate, white hoop, collar cuffs and quartered cap. Percy Bailey seemed to pack in training within a few years. The betting office acquired for the scam by Maurice Williams is above this now svelte Estate Agents,from where most of the bets were made by Victor Dill (who seemed to remarry in 1957 at age 59) The story was also reported in German in Der Spiegel,Wednesday 19 August 1953: 12 marks to the pound then! Equivalent exchange rate is about 2.2 now.
The colourful Dill died in 1986. His father was a barrister, born in South Africa, and Victor Dill grew up amid some wealth at 26 Drayton Gardens, West Brompton.
That’s interesting, I’ve found a pic of some those involved, it doesn’t say who’s who other than William Rook is one… I’ve added this to the post named Auction of Racing Scam Horses at Epsom 1954.
Interesting! I used to pass a turf accountant's shop called Kateley on my way home from school every day - late 60s,perhaps into the 70s. It was located in in a side door on the extreme left here His initial was R. according to directories.
ReplyDeleteBy 1958, a Harry Kateley was living at 46 Fourth Avenue in Chelmsford, clearly the very same.
ReplyDeleteApparently Kateley's wife was a hairdresser...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/Great+Racing+Scams%3A+The+Francasal+scandal,+the+Bath+seller+and+the...-a081211059
Fascinating article, Burnsy. I used to have my hair cut almost opposite Kateley's as a schoolboy (not connected with Nancy). Harry was born Henry G in 1911.
ReplyDeleteHarry Kateley died in 2000
It's an amazing coincidence that you had a link to Kateley's like that, and I bet at the time you used to pass by you never had a clue about Harry Kateley and the Francasal case. It's one of those stories that would be worthy of a film being made about it, there's quite a lot about it on the web, I found some interesting reading in Google Books too using the search terms "Harry Kateley" or "Francasal"... The welsh guy Gomer ended up being blasted by a shotgun on his doorstep one night just a few years after serving his sentence!
ReplyDeleteYou obviously saw the very recent piece about the case here in the Daily Post (North Wales). The three year sentence fits in with Harry living in Chelmsford by 1958 - not a bad part of town at all. The South African born Essex Cricketer Ken McEwan used to be in the same road (or perhaps the next one) around 1980 with his personal liveried car parked outside.
ReplyDeleteYes I did, in fact I saw two related stories in the Welsh press, one about the one that got away and the other maybe more about Gomer's killing. Harry Kateley seemed to be a high roller who very much liked the high life, maybe a bit of an Arthur Daley (George Cole) type character from the series Minder!
ReplyDeleteColours registered for AH Williams (Kateley): Apple green, black crossbelts, sleeves and cap. Maurice Williams: Chocolate, white hoop, collar cuffs and quartered cap.
ReplyDeletePercy Bailey seemed to pack in training within a few years.
The betting office acquired for the scam by Maurice Williams is above this now svelte Estate Agents,from where most of the bets were made by Victor Dill (who seemed to remarry in 1957 at age 59)
The story was also reported in German in Der Spiegel,Wednesday 19 August 1953: 12 marks to the pound then! Equivalent exchange rate is about 2.2 now.
The colourful Dill died in 1986. His father was a barrister, born in South Africa, and Victor Dill grew up amid some wealth at 26 Drayton Gardens, West Brompton.
ReplyDeleteThat’s interesting, I’ve found a pic of some those involved, it doesn’t say who’s who other than William Rook is one… I’ve added this to the post named Auction of Racing Scam Horses at Epsom 1954.
ReplyDelete