Age: 23
Sex: male
Crime: murder
Date Of Execution: 5 Sep 1922
Execution Place: Pentonville
Method: hanging
Executioner: John Ellis
Source: http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/
William James Yeldham was convicted of the murder of George Stanley Grimshaw 54 who he battered to death at Higham's Park, Chingford on 17 May 1922.
He was convicted of murder along with his wife but his wife was reprieved.
William Yeldham was executed at HMP Pentonville.
They were husband and wife and murdered George Grimshaw in the course of a robbery at Highams Park near the river Ching. George was last seen walking towards a local pub around 7pm. Around 8.45pm a 16 year old saw a scuffle and went to look but a man, William Yeldham confronted him and he ran away. However, moments later when he noticed they had left he went back and found two other people on the scene and Goerge on the ground with his watch chain out minus its watch which had been stolen. He was moaning and bleeding from the head.
He was taken to Whipps Cross hospital where they found he had about 12 deep cuts to the scalp, some to the bone, and his front skull fractured with brain exposed. His eyes were also bruised with abrasions around. He later died.
After some investigations the police found out that George Grimshaw had been having a relationship with a waitress and so they started to look into that and found that he had been writing letters to a girl that had recently married a man called Yeldham. After shop to shop enquiries they found out that this girl had been recieving letters to a certain address and when they went there they found a letter in George Grimshaws writing. From there they traced them to Braintree where they were staying at Nunnery Farm, Bocking. They were brought in for questioning and Elsie told them that she and william had argued that day and she had then gone to meet George in London and that he had followed her and after they had gone to the pub they went to Highams Park where they sat and put their arms around each other, however, William came running out with an iron bar and beat George over the head a few times. She then searched him for money as she knew he carried alot and she found a £15 treasury note, thirteen £1 notes and four 10/- notes plus the watch.
see National Archives - MEPO 3/1576
see Sunday Illustrated - Sunday 28 May 1922