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Betty Deen

Age: 40

Sex: female

Date: 9 Apr 1947

Place: River Thames, Shadwell Docks, London

Betty Deen was found dead in the River Thames in Shadwell Docks, London.

An open verdict was returned.

She had been staying at Hilden Manor Guest House in Tonbridge, Kent, whilst her husband, a company director, was living in a detached house in Ingram Road in New Southgate, a road also described as 'Millionaires Row'.

She had taken a room at the Manor Guest House about seven weeks earlier but had left without saying goodbye about three weeks before she was found dead. It was said that she used to be seen in the evenings at the club in the cocktail bars and in the ballroom, but was noted for having gone away for days at a time, until late March 1947 when she went away and never returned.

The police said that they were trying to trace her movements after she had left the Hilden Manor Club.

Her husband was a millionaire and was on the board of twenty companies. They had a boy.

When she was found Betty Deen had been wearing a green coat and frock, with her frock bearing a label marked 'Lillywhites, Piccadilly'. She had also been wearing an expensive platinum wedding ring with 'Pour Toujours' (Forever) inscribed on it as well as BM April 16 1936. Some of her underwear was marked 'Deen WWNH'.

The information was passed on to a person who made a search through some files of customer orders and a clue was found. The director that made the search said, 'I discovered a very slender clue which I have passed on to Scotland Yard', that being a name and a telephone number, which turned out to be for Betty Deen's husband.

After Betty Deen's husband was contacted, he went along to Wapping Police Station late on the night of Wednesday 9 April 1947 where he identified his wife's body in the mortuary.

Betty Deen was noted for having been 6ft 1in tall and was described as attractive, with brown hair.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Manchester Evening News - Friday 11 April 1947

see Daily Herald - Thursday 10 April 1947

see Kent & Sussex Courier - Friday 11 April 1947

see Daily Mirror - Thursday 10 April 1947