The Murder at October House
1968 April: 1968 1 May: The Times: A man’s body was found after a fire at Hookwood. Police are trying to trace a Morris Traveller missing from the house.
Bob Scott: Hookwood House fire murder – Incident Room was run by DS Nick Carter and I had the privilege of being posted outside the house in Hookwood (October House it was called) to secure it while all the HQ troops were being mustered and driving to the scene. My memory of the circumstances was that it turned out to be a case of a male prostitute being picked up in Brighton by the victim, being taken home to not so sunny Hookwood and never actually, as they say, making it through the night. I was at that stage in my service given the task of standing at a front gate which was about all I was capable of.
John Thorne: I attended this incident with Detective Chief Superintendent Place MBE. I seem to recall the house had been set on fire. I believe some of the silverware stolen from the house was recovered from antiques shops in Brighton.
Colin Skilton: The Hookwood murder was at the house on the edge of the roundabout just along from the car garage. I was sent to a house fire where the Brigade was having a great time with their axes pulling down the ceilings to get the hoses in. A man’s body was covered up on the front lawn. He was a retired naval officer. His wife had gone away for a few days, so he went out for the evening and brought a man named Imre Gathy home for the night. After killing the house owner for whatever reason, he left the scene and went home to Brighton. After a day or so, seeing there were no reports in the papers, he returned and set fire to the scene. During the time of the investigation it was suggested he travelled to Horley and stood across the road from the police station wanting to give himself up. He gave himself up through a national paper which I believe was the Daily Mirror.
Derek Harding: I think the house was called October Cottage or something similar and, as far as I know, it still exists. It was immediately beside the Hookwood roundabout on the A217 as it turns onto Hookwood Spur on the south western corner and the entrance gateway was opposite the Hookwood police houses and office. In early 1968 (perhaps as early as January) I was looking after the telephones at Horley Police Station (I was the duty Cadet) when I took a message from Control about a house fire at Hookwood Spur but we were told there was no need for Police attendance. Just after 9am, HQ phoned again to say that the Fire Service was asking us to send a PC, "To look after the traffic." PC Colin Skilton and I turned out. We arrived and a Fire Engine was parked outside the gate of the house. There was no traffic problem so Colin suggested I go and ask the senior fire officer what they needed while he parked the car beside the Hookwood Police Office. I duly went over and the SFO pulled back a tarpaulin to reveal the body of Humphrey William Grace, Commander RN (retd) thoroughly dead and whom they had found inside the house. I handed over to Colin and went to the Hookwood Office to set up a communication point and there I stayed all day. Scotland Yard were engaged at an early point during the morning and set up shop at Horley CID and Hookwood Office. Peter Lucas (also a cadet at the time) was the CID Office gopher and I "helped" the Met DS whose name quite escapes me. He was a jolly fellow and introduced me to calling senior officers "Guvnor". The "guvnor" was a Met Inspector who kept finding little jobs for me to do such as running off copies on the hand operated Roneo. (Was Dorothy Boxall the typist?) A few days later I was again in the station office when Tom Tullett, crime reporter for the Daily Mirror came up to the counter. I didn't recognise him but I certainly knew his name. He asked to speak to the Inspector or the DS. It duly transpired that the murderer, a Hungarian, Imre Gathy, had surrendered to Tom Tullett and had come to the Station with him so there in the Station Office I witnessed my first arrest for murder. Imre Gathy had been hitch-hiking along the A23 south of Gatwick and Cmdr Grace had picked him up and taken him to October Cottage. I think Gathy stayed overnight as a guest; Grace's wife and daughter (?) being away. It was alleged by Gathy that Grace had made unwelcome sexual advances so he seized a door-stop and bashed Cmdr Grace on the head with it. He tried to cover up the crime by setting fire to the hallway but the fire didn't take. When he came back the next morning, he saw the house was apparently undamaged and no-one paying any attention, so he tried to restart the fire by pushing a burning newspaper through the letterbox. Although he wasn't seen, the smoke was, the alarm raised by a forecourt attendant at the neighbouring petrol station and so the affair came to light. Gathy had returned to the scene and seen the Police presence and later went to the Police Station, intending to give himself up but didn't do so. I don't recall what happened to him but he was charged with murder "against the peace".
Peter Lucas might recall more as he was the Cadet actually attached to the murder squad. I guess this would be one of the last murders handed over to Scotland Yard for investigation by Surrey Constabulary in the closing months of Herman Rutherford's tenure as Chief Constable. I think it was a pretty usual thing then for Scotland Yard to provide resources for major crimes as part of the Central Services.
