Cheshire true crime: Police solve murder with box of eggs

With the end of the war, the moneylenders tried to ease the formalities of borrowing. But because of the following story, these more straightforward formalities were rescinded.

One of the men employed as a moneylenders manager at the Refuge Lending Society in Walker Street, Manchester, was Bernard Phillips of Meade Hall Road, Prestwich who was 37 years old and married with one child.

On January 3, 1946, a man came into the office to apply for a loan; he wanted £60, that would equate today as £2,529.43. He gave the name George Wood, the address he provided was Moss Side Farm in Tarporley and his wife’s name was Jessie.

He was sent over to Mr Phillips who approved the loan after it was agreed that he was prepared to hand over the farm’s deeds as surety. The office had a car for the use of the staff, a black Ford 8 saloon.

The Moneylenders office car, which was found in a secluded lane in Moulton

The moneylender's car

Mr Phillips agreed to meet Wood at his home the following weekend to take possession of the deeds and hand over the money.

Within half an hour of leaving the man giving the name Wood, returned and asked if the visit could be that day as he was going away with his wife.

Mr Phillips left the office with the so-called Mr Wood and in possession of £60 made up of £1 and £5 notes. They went in the company car supposedly to collect the deeds, and that was the last time the office staff saw him alive.

When he did not return, the Manchester police were informed and circulated his details and those of the car.

The car was found in a secluded lane at Moulton; a search revealed a box on the back seat with five eggs in it. These were not in the car when Mr Phillips left Manchester; his briefcase was also missing.

The Chief Constable of Cheshire Sir Jack Beck circulated details of the vehicle, asking that the persons who had sold petrol for the car and the eggs could come forward.

The seller of the eggs was found at Wellington in Shropshire, indicating that the vehicle had been there before travelling to Moulton.

The reason later given was that the car had been seen driving towards Roden in Shropshire, where the offender knew some people.

While at the CWS farm there he purchased the eggs from a man called Dutton. The eggs’ story was an essential piece of police evidence, although the details surrounding the trip to Shropshire’s vague.

On January 5, two young brothers Donald and Fred Threadgold of Deakins Road, Wharton, were returning from an errand in Moulton.

The boys walked along the path from the start of the railway tunnels, towards the Smoke Hall Lane bridge over the railway.

Smoke Hall Railway Bridge.

Smoke Hall railway bridge

They were pushing a barrow, and near to the bridge it got stuck in the mud. There was an embankment leading down to the railway tracks, and one of the brothers Frederick Walter Threadgold happened to look down, and he saw a man’s body lying at the bottom of the embankment in a culvert.

They alerted the people in a nearby cottage and then ran off to tell the police.

As a result, Sergeant John Nixon attended with Dr Leak, and the doctor pronounced life extinct. The location of the body was only 400 yards from the scene of the abandoned car. The body was that of Bernard Phillips.

Mr Phillips’ body was found down the railway embankment at the side of Smoke Hall Railway bridge (inset)

The railway embankment at the side of Smoke Hall bridge

The pathologist, Mr Grace, attended and on moving the body found the murder weapon underneath. It was a ‘commando’ knife, later identified as belonging to Harold Berry, and it had been used to stab him in the back.

The later post-mortem found that the knife had entered the lung through the third and fourth rib. There were no personal possessions on the body, and death had occurred around 24 hours earlier.

Harold Berry, who had given the name George Wood, was a 30-year-old night watchman at the CWS Bacon Factory and lived in Ledward Street, Wharton.

Ledward St 2009

Ledward Street, Winsford

He was having an affair with 21-year-old Irene Wynn who also worked at the bacon factory, a married woman whose husband was abroad in the army. She lived in Station Road, Winsford, at the station end.

On January 5, Berry took her to London travelling first class on the train and staying at The Euston Hotel near Euston station. Money appeared no object, and she was given flowers, grapes, trips to the theatre and other treats during the two days in London.

Mrs Wynn passed away in Middlewich in 2004 at the age of 80.

Enquiries continued, and the deceased’s wallet was found in Berry’s home by Sergeant Nixon, it was in a woman’s handbag that was on top of a pram.

Harold Berry Murderer

Harold Berry

On returning to Winsford, Berry was found to be in possession of items stolen from Mr Phillips and money that was from the moneylenders was recovered in the Euston Hotel where they stayed.

Berry was arrested for the murder and appeared at Northwich Police Court on January 24, 1946, where he was remanded to Strangeways Prison in Manchester.

On February 4, 1946, he was tried for murder at Chester Assize Court; he pleaded not guilty, and the defence barrister was Mr H Edmund Davies KC.

Berry was found guilty and the judge Mr Justice Stable said: “Harold Berry, the jury has found you guilty of the murder of Bernard Phillips. That is a right and proper verdict. I think you know that you murdered and robbed him of £50”. He then sentenced Berry to death.

The sentence was carried out at Strangeways Prison on the 9th of April 1946, and the hangman was Albert Pierpoint. The executioner in the recent Nuremberg Trials of War Criminals.