👮‍♂️PC Harry Retchless Stabbing🔪

While looking through the newspaper archives I came across this shocking tale of PC Harry Reckless, Billinghay’s local constable being stabbed at the Coach and Horses, Tattershall Road, Billinghay.

Reported in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 26 September 1901.

On Tuesday 24 September 1901. A KESTEVEN CONSTABLE STABBED. At a special session at Sleaford yesterday, Robert Wilson, hawker, of Crowle, was charged with stabbing Police-constable Retchless Billinghay the previous night. The officer was fetched to eject Wilson from the Coach and Horses Inn, Billinghay, where he had been creating a disturbance, and upon endeavouring to take Wilson into custody drew a knife and stabbed Retchless in the arm, groin, and chest.—Dr. Thomas Beddoes having given evidence. Superintendent Taylor asked for remand for eight days.—Mr. C. Kirk, the chairman, granted the remand, and the prisoner’ removed to Lincoln.

At a special court hearing held at Sleaford Town Hall on Thursday 3 October 1901, we get to hear more details about the stabbing of PC Retchless, it states North Kyme but the Coach and Horses Pub is in Billinghay but on North Kyme/Tattershall Road. The following newspaper report was in the Sleaford Gazette – Saturday 05 October 1901.

Thankfully PC Reckless was not too seriously hurt, but it could so easily have been very very serious for the young Harry Reckless.

This old photo of the Coach & Horses was taken around 1964, so quite a few years after the event. I understand that it has had a major renovation recently & is doing well.

Harry Retchless

Harry Retchless was born on 1 December 1880 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire to father James, a Labourer 1844-1909 and mother Emma (George) 1844-1930. Harry had married Lizzie Cropley in April 1906 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Lizzie was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth, Samuel was a Grocer in Sleaford. The couple had three daughters, May 1908-1986, Edith 1910-2001 and Lizzie 1913-1997. All three were married and had seven children between them.

I found a lovely report of Edith’s wedding in the newspaper archives with her two sisters as her bridesmaids. She was married in the parish church of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire about 30 miles from Billinghay and where the family lived after Harry Retchless retired from the Police. He was a smallholder and the family owned a few acres. It was close to where he grew up at Tydd St Giles.

Reported in the Spalding Guardian – Saturday 17 August 1935

Although Harry had retired from Police work he still upheld the law and it was no surprise when I found his name associated with a court case the previous year in May 1934 for non-payment of potatoes. They were his own spuds!