THE WHITECHAPEL SOCIETY - WHERE HISTORY BECOMES LEGEND

Out of the following four people who do you think once said, 'I’m not a butcher. I’m not a Yid. Nor am I a foreign skipper. But I am your very own light-hearted friend. Yours truly, Jack the Ripper'. Would it be: (A) Mahatma Gandhi. (B) David Beckham. (C) Shirley Temple. Or (D) That fat bloke out of Eastenders who keeps on crying all of the bleeding time. Now if you want to know the answer to this poxy question, then you must be some sort of a bloody nutter. A nutter willing to check out the following interview about a club I'm dying to be apart of.


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1) What are your own origins, Frogg? Plus what path did you take in life prior to getting to where you are today?   I have had a variety of jobs -- some mundane and some exciting. I actually worked for the film company 'Warner Brothers' on lighting then became really interested in horticulture therapy. I became head gardener in a psychiatric hospital which was fantastic! As a musician, I wrote the rock musical 'Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper' which has done quite well being performed in New York, Washington, London etc.
 
2) How did the ‘Whitechapel Society 1888’ come about? Plus what is your role within the scheme of things?   The WS 1888 started life as 'The Cloak and Dagger Club' in 1995 -- the founder was Mark Galloway, who is still involved as club President. Eventually the club evolved into the 'Whitechapel Society' mainly to encompass the life and times of Jack the Ripper. This has allowed us to widen the type of 'speaker subjects' which have included workhouses, Victorian politics, the police officials involved in the Ripper case, and much-much more.

The old club pretty much concentrated on just Jack the Ripper.

I joined the WS committee whilst it was still 'The Cloak and Dagger Club', and managed to persuade the club to change direction. The result was the new 'WS 1888' where I booked the speakers. I am now editor of the in-house magazine -- 'The Whitechapel Journal' -- which has a world-wide readership.

3) In your opinion who is Jack The Ripper?   Well, I have always felt that George Chapman makes a good candidate. He was a known murderer (who was eventually caught and hanged) who was in the Whitechapel area at the time of the Ripper murders.

4) Apart from Jack, if you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your group, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Johnny Depp. He played Inspector Abberline in the film 'From Hell', which had him chasing Jack the Ripper around the Streets of old London town! Depp is actually interested in the Ripper crimes and his fame would do the WS no harm at all!

5) What song would you say best represents your organisation and why?   'The Only Way Is Up' by Yass. The song title sums up the way the WS is going -- attendance at our meetings have reached record levels and we continue to attract members worldwide.

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour? And were their any unforeseen obstacles you had to contend with along the way?   Now I never thought I would become editor of the Magazine but amazed myself by learning how to produce the publication -- I honestly didn't know the first thing about publishing! It was just a double sided A4 sheet when I started and its now a decent 26 page product. 

Obstacles -- I have had one or two run-ins with fellow committee members over the years which resulted in their resignations. You have to be pretty obsessed to get the job done and I've always believed that if your going to do something, you do it to the best of your ability. Unfortunately, others didn't share my enthusiasm!

7) What are the benefits for the members who join the Whitechapel Society? Plus is their a pre-requisite?   On joining the WS, you get six Whitechapel Journals per year sent to your home address. You also get free entry to six WS meetings per year (in Whitechapel, London) all with a guest speaker -- usually an expert on Jack the Ripper or associated Victorian social history. Many members are researchers, authors, and historians, so new members are in good company because they're a friendly bunch!

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8) If ‘WS1888’ had a motto, what would it be?   'The Whitechapel Society - Where History Becomes Legend'.

So there you have it, dear readers. My mate Frogg and his involvement with 'The Whitechapel Society'. When you have the time please click on over to their twitter account and website, OK? Plus don't forget, for all you Jack the Ripper fans out there, watch this space for more developments on all things Jack.