Age: 23
Sex: male
Date: 10 Oct 1962
Place: Whitehall, Hampshire
Joseph McEwan died in a street fight in Whitehall near Bordon in Hampshire, on the night of 10 October 1962.
Three men were tried for his murder but it was impossible to say who was more blame worthy than who. However, they pleaded guilty to causing an affray. They were tried at the Hampshire Assizes on 11 December 1962.
Eight other men had also been charged with causing an affray in a public highway.
The fight was between soldiers and civilians, with a total of twenty people being involved. The court heard that after a dance by the Prince of Wales public house in Whitehall on 10 October 1962 that a number of local youths walked through a group of soldiers standing on the pavement outside, which it was said seemed to have led to the fight.
The event had been a 'Twist' session at the dance hall next to the Prince of Wales public house. It was heard that just after the dance ended at 11pm on the Wednesday night that Joseph McEwan said to the landlord, 'I enjoyed the dance. When is the next one?', but that a few minutes later the fight started.
Joseph McEwan had been a Private in the REME and had been from Shirsa Street in Glasgow.
The three men tried had been labourers, aged 18, 20 and 20.
see discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
see A Calendar Of Murder, Criminal Homicide In England Since 1957, Terence Morris and Louis Blom-Cooper
see National Archives - DPP 2/3563, ASSI 26/298
see The Scotsman - Wednesday 12 December 1962
see The Scotsman - Saturday 17 November 1962
see Liverpool Echo - Tuesday 11 December 1962
see Daily Mirror - Friday 12 October 1962