Joe Saward

The Man Who Caught Crippen Joe Saward

Henry Kendall went to sea as a cabin boy at the age of 15. By the time he was 32 he was the captain of an Atlantic liner, and in 1910 shot to fame when he sent a celebrated wireless transmission from the SS Montrose, as she headed out into the Atlantic Ocean: "Have strong suspicions that Crippen, London cellar murderer and accomplice, are among saloon passengers." The message sparked off an extraordinary chase as Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard raced by train to Liverpool, boarded a fast ship to Canada, aiming to arrive before the Montrose, to arrest Dr Crippen. The world watched the drama unfold as the power of wireless communication in law enforcement was proved for the first time. Four years later Kendall was the commander of the RMS Empress of Ireland when she was hit and sunk by a Norwegian coal freighter in the St Lawrence estuary. There were 1,012 lives lost but, by a quirk of fate, Kendall lived. During his life he survived attempted murder, shipwrecks, torpedoes, icebergs, scorpion bites, cannibals, sharks, fevers, flying bombs and even a marauding leopard. Kendall's amazing life is told by Joe Saward, the author of the best-selling "Grand Prix Saboteurs". Four years after Crippen's arrest, Kendall was in command of the RMS Empress of Ireland when she was sunk by a Norwegian coal freighter. There were 1,012 lives lost that night but - by a quirk of fate - Kendall survived. These extraordinary stories are told by the author of best-selling "Grand Prix Saboteurs".