What happened to the Duke of Darnall

[Albert T Smith]

Might just have sorted out a bit more of this. During Christmas lunch my 82 year old mother started talking about her days at John Banners so I asked her about the duke. Yes he was deaf and dumb, thats why he got into such a mess when directing traffic, he lived in Attercliffe with a woman known as Russian Edna.

 

My mother said that he suddenly disapeared from the Attercliffe area, she assumed that he had died.

 

Probably someone else could throw more light on this. I've vauge memories that Russian Edna was murdered in High Hazels Park in the early 50s?? I hope someone else comes up with more information.

[Wadsleyite]

I also remember something about Russian Edna being murdered in High Hazels Park. A quick web search produced this page with a photo of the Duke and something about the murder, but no exact dates http://www.telspatch.co.uk/sheffield_*****/sheff_characters/duke_of_darnall/duke_of_darnall.htm

[brodie]

Yes, the Duke of Darnell was deaf and dumb. I know this because my Mum spoke to him in sign language.

[keido]

In the 1950s when I was growing upthere was a n old man who lived in Darnall road, in the cottages just past Basford Street and the Ball Inn and before the police box. He was deaf and dumb. He used to wave his fists at the kids walking past his houseand sometimes chase them. No doubt because of the mickey taking he got.Only when you get older do you ealise how cruel the kids were to him. He was always immaculately dressed in suit with waistcoat and bowler hat. Dont know whether he was Duke of Darnall.

[crookesey]

In the 1950s when I was growing upthere was a n old man who lived in Darnall road, in the cottages just past Basford Street and the Ball Inn and before the police box. He was deaf and dumb. He used to wave his fists at the kids walking past his houseand sometimes chase them. No doubt because of the mickey taking he got.Only when you get older do you ealise how cruel the kids were to him. He was always immaculately dressed in suit with waistcoat and bowler hat. Dont know whether he was Duke of Darnall.

 

Good first post it was obviously him, I thought that my mother might have been wrong in saying Attercliffe.

[dukeodarnall]

As he would be around 120 years old now I guess he might just be dead.

I'm still very much alive thankyou ... can I help you??

[crookesey]

I'm still very much alive thankyou ... can I help you??

 

Absolutely ace and only your 5th post.

[jimbol]

There's a photo on the Picture Sheffield web site of the Duke of Darnall (allegedly), can anyone confirm that this is him?

[keido]

Its a long time since I saw him,1950s or perhaps very early 60s but unless the memory is playing up this is the man who lived in Darnall Road as per my previous thread. I and all the other kids were chased by him often enough.

[Heeley tyke]

Probably someone else could throw more light on this. I've vauge memories that Russian Edna was murdered in High Hazels Park in the early 50s?? I hope someone else comes up with more information.

 

You are quite right about Russian Edna. She was murdered by a lorry driver in High Hazels Park in 1944 after meeting him in the Sportsman pub on Cambridge Street.

At his trial, his plea of manslaughter was accepted and received a very lenient sentence of 12 months imprisonment. Edna's real name was Melanie Birch by the way and she lived with the Duke of Darnall who wasn't deaf and dumb at all. He just didn't like talking to people.

An amazing coincidence happened 20 years later. In the same pub, a young prostitute was accosted and murdered by a lorry driver! She was called Theresa Smith, only young and quite attractive but she was always very scruffy-looking and was usually accompamnied by her husband/pimp, Gypsy Smith, a very unsavoury character indeed.

 

This information came from a book about the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation that was published several years ago and written by a local author, Julian Graeme.