1 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:15,440 This is the BBC Home Service... 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:21,520 James Camb, a deck steward on the liner Durban Castle, 3 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,120 was today charged with the murder on the high seas of 4 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,000 Miss Eileen Gay Gibson, the actress who disappeared 5 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,760 from the ship during a voyage from South Africa to Britain. 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,840 In other news, the shortage of water continues following 7 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,520 the long dry spell... 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,640 It was here at Winchester's Great Hall in March of 1948 that one 9 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:39,240 of the 20th century's most sensational murder 10 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:45,480 trials took place. 11 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:48,680 It had everything you would expect to find in an Agatha Christie novel. 12 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,560 A dashing steward, a beautiful actress, a death on the high seas. 13 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:52,600 But no body. 14 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,480 The steward was charged with murdering the 21-year-old 15 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,400 actress and pushing her out of the porthole. 16 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:02,040 No trace of her body was ever found. 17 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,440 And now, for the first time, we have unprecedented access 18 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,560 to the actual case files for the investigation. 19 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,560 And we can reveal evidence unheard at the trial. 20 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,000 A trial that ended with the judge donning his black cap 21 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,600 and passing the death sentence. 22 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,600 James Camb... 23 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,080 The sentence of the court upon you is that you be taken 24 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:29,080 from hence to a lawful prison and thence to a place of execution 25 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,600 and that you there be hanged by the neck until you be dead. 26 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:38,600 This is the story of a murder without a body. 27 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,680 Is James Camb guilty or is he not guilty? 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,600 We are rewriting history. 29 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,400 I still can't make up my mind whether he did or didn't. 30 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:48,080 I was in a terrible state. 31 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,080 I said I could have saved his life. 32 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:59,120 Because I don't know that he did it. 33 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,080 There must always be a question mark. 34 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:10,640 When you have to rely, essentially, on circumstantial evidence. 35 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:13,000 Do you find the prisoner at the bar, James Camb, 36 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,080 guilty or not guilty? 37 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:19,320 Guilty. 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,120 This is the actual spot where James Camb stood 39 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,600 when he received the death sentence. 40 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,760 He protested his innocence and ever since there has always been a debate 41 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,160 on what really happened in cabin 126. 42 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:39,160 This is the actual room where a keen 21-year-old actress who dreamt 43 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,280 of a career on stage and screen would spend the last few moments 44 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:43,360 of her short life. 45 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,640 Anthony Brown has been studying the case for many years. 46 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:46,920 He has researched every detail. 47 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:48,160 It is a fascinating case. 48 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,440 Firstly, it was an alleged murder on the high seas. 49 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:51,520 That's rare. 50 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:52,760 Secondly, there was no body. 51 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,160 That's very unusual for a murder case. 52 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,160 The body is normally the key bit of evidence 53 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,200 to suggest that the victim had been unlawfully killed. 54 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,440 When you don't have the body, there is a bit of debate about how 55 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:11,720 did the victim die. 56 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:13,880 The events began at Cape Town in South Africa. 57 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,000 Still the home of many visiting cruise ships today. 58 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,880 It is the city where on 10th October 1947, at Duncan Dock, 59 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,040 the Durban Castle left for its routine voyage across 60 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,720 the Atlantic Ocean to Southampton. 61 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:29,200 But the events that transpired on board the liner 62 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:34,240 were anything but routine. 63 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,960 What do we definitively know happened on board that ship? 64 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:38,000 What can we not argue over? 65 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,320 What are the facts? 66 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,280 Gay Gibson and James Camb, the steward, became friendly. 67 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,840 On board one of the first class cabins was a young 68 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,280 actress called Gay Gibson. 69 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,120 A couple of days out, the young actress, all on her own, 70 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,520 met up with James Camb, dashing in his steward's uniform. 71 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:55,800 They had lot of intimate conversations, actually. 72 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:57,840 James Camb reported that Gay Gibson even told him 73 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:01,720 that she was three months pregnant. 74 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:03,920 Well, James Camb was 30 years old when that 75 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,240 fateful voyage started. 76 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,400 At home, he had a wife and baby daughter. 77 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,040 But that still didn't stop him from indulging in numerous affairs 78 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,320 with lady passengers. 79 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,560 On the middle of the voyage there was a dinner dance and James Camb 80 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:18,800 and Gay Gibson were talking. 81 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,520 James Camb goes down to her cabin. 82 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:21,880 This is strictly not allowed. 83 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:23,880 He's a deck steward. 84 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,840 He has got no power to go down to her cabin. 85 00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:35,320 He goes down to offer her a drink from the bar. 86 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:39,280 So far, there was no hint of the tragedy ahead. 87 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:41,840 But in the early hours of the next morning, 88 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:44,120 at two minutes to three, came the first sign that 89 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:45,200 something was wrong. 90 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,800 Bells were rung from cabin 126. 91 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,400 These bells... 92 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:53,920 There is one for the steward and one for the stewardess. 93 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:54,960 And they are independent? 94 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,120 They are independent and it is most unusual when these bells get rung. 95 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:00,760 What happens when these bells are rung is that the nightwatchman, 96 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,640 his name is Fred Steer, he comes up from the A deck, 97 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,240 the deck below, he goes up onto B deck, he walks down the port side 98 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,400 corridor, he is looking for lights at the end of the cabin recesses. 99 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,200 He sees one and he goes into this recess, it has four 100 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:14,640 cabins at the end of it. 101 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,800 And he sees the red and green lights are showing for cabin 126. 102 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,280 So he goes in and knocks on the door gently. 103 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:23,520 He starts to open the door and it is slammed shut in his face. 104 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:24,560 Does he see anything? 105 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:25,600 He does. 106 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,840 He claims he sees James Camb standing in the cabin. 107 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:37,880 When the Durban Castle arrived in England, Camb was grilled 108 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:43,360 at great length by the police at their Southampton headquarters. 109 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,320 He had no legal representation and still maintained 110 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,840 his complete innocence. 111 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:54,840 A detective outlines they have clear evidence that Camb 112 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:56,480 was seen in the room. 113 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,000 Camb changes his story and admits he was in the cabin 114 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:00,120 where Gay Gibson died. 115 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:01,720 The police formally charge him with murder. 116 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:02,760 His response? 117 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,440 I did not think it would be as serious as this. 118 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,040 After a short conversation I got into bed with her consent. 119 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:09,120 Intimacy took place. 120 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:15,360 Whilst in the act of sexual intercourse, she suddenly clutched 121 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:24,440 at me, foaming at the mouth. 122 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:26,840 I immediately ceased the act but she was very still. 123 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:29,200 I felt for her heartbeat but could not find any. 124 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,200 I bolted the door and again tried respiration. 125 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,040 After a few minutes, I could not find any sign of life. 126 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,720 After a struggle with the limp body, and by the way, 127 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,720 she was still wearing her dressing gown, I managed to lift her to 128 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,440 the porthole and pushed her through. 129 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,600 This is the actual statement signed by James Camb 130 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:51,960 on 25th October 1947. 131 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:57,000 This document obviously became a key part of a very complex trial. 132 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,080 And it's amazing that this and other vital pieces 133 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:05,480 of paperwork have survived. 134 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:11,000 Thanks to the Hampshire Police Society, the entire case file 135 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,000 for the trial was saved from potential incineration. 136 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,840 In fact, most of these documents haven't been seen since the legal 137 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:16,880 proceedings in 1948. 138 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:21,000 Where did you get this from? 139 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,880 I had a phone call from the archives of the Hampshire Constabulary. 140 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:26,920 Are you the person interested in the James Camb porthole murder case? 141 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:28,960 Yes, I am. 142 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:30,520 Why? 143 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,120 We have some papers down here you may be interested in. 144 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:34,800 Would you like to look at them? 145 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:36,000 I said, yes, I would. 146 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,640 I went down there within 24 hours and I was surprised by what I saw. 147 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,560 I expected one or two pieces of paper. 148 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:44,680 And to be given two large boxes of material, and when I looked 149 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,280 at it I could clearly see they were the original papers. 150 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:49,480 Previously, books have been written, articles have been written, 151 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,840 but this is the first time where all the information 152 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:52,880 had been known. 153 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:54,080 It was a wonderful find. 154 00:07:54,080 --> 00:08:00,040 After you went to the cabin, what happened next? 155 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,600 There was a certain amount of preliminary love play and then 156 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:03,640 sexual intercourse took place. 157 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:04,880 What happened in the end? 158 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,320 Just as intercourse would normally have come to an end. 159 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,720 She suddenly heaved under me, as though she were gasping 160 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,040 for breath, as though she was taking a deep breath. 161 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:13,320 What happened to her body? 162 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,640 It stiffened for a fraction of a second and then 163 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:21,520 relaxed, completely limp. 164 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:27,000 What did you do when her body showed the symptoms? 165 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,560 I immediately got off the bed. 166 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:32,960 She was completely relaxed, as though in a dead faint. 167 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:39,000 One eye was just slightly open, her mouth was a little open, too. 168 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,520 There was a faint line of bubbles, which I assumed to be froth, 169 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,160 just on the edge of her lips. 170 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,000 It was a muddy colour and appeared to be blood-flecked. 171 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:53,600 What did you decide to do? 172 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,440 I confess now, it sounds very foolish, but I hoped to give 173 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:59,040 the impression that she had fallen overboard and deny all knowledge 174 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:00,520 of having been to that cabin. 175 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:02,240 What were you going to do then? 176 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,560 Dispose of her body by pushing it through the porthole. 177 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:05,800 What did you actually do? 178 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,640 I lifted her up and pushed her through. 179 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:09,120 It was a very animated trial. 180 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:10,160 Overseen by Justice Hilbery. 181 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,360 Joshua Casswell QC led the counsel for Camb's defence. 182 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,120 But by far the most flamboyant character 183 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:19,600 in the Great Hall during the trial was Geoffrey Robertson QC, 184 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,280 in the Great Hall during the trial was Geoffrey Roberts KC, 185 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:24,120 the leader of the counel for the prosecution. 186 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,680 His questioning of Camb was intense. 187 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:27,520 Would you describe yourself as a truthful man? 188 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:28,600 I think so. 189 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:30,960 You were the last person to see Miss Gibson alive? 190 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,040 Yes. 191 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,640 You put her through the porthole at 3am on the morning 192 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:35,840 of the 18th of October? 193 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:36,920 Yes. 194 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:38,920 Did you, for the next eight days, make untrue 195 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:40,080 statements regarding this? 196 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:41,120 I did, yes. 197 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,040 When did you decide to alter your story? 198 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:45,160 In the police headquarters. 199 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,640 Why? 200 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,280 I realised by then that I was definitely incriminated by Steer. 201 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,720 Don't you call that curious conduct for a truthful person? 202 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,160 I should say, it was beastly conduct. 203 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,480 You were quite satisfied that you had not been identified 204 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,080 as the man in the cabin? 205 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:08,160 Yes, I thought so at the time. 206 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,520 So what necessity was there to do anything but slip out of the cabin? 207 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:17,120 My intention was to give the impression she had 208 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,680 disappeared of her own accord. 209 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:23,480 If she was found dead in her cabin, no one could know 210 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:25,640 if anyone had been in there. 211 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:28,320 Enquiries might have been made and I might have been incriminated. 212 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:31,680 The early part of the prosecution asked a number of times 213 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:34,360 whether he had given an honest account and he had to 214 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:37,720 concede that he hadn't because he had changed his story. 215 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:43,720 Can you imagine what it must have been like to be on trial here? 216 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:47,680 The judge, sat under King Arthur's Round Table, the jury 217 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:49,160 clinging onto your every word. 218 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,560 The very place where Sir Walter Raleigh was told he was to be hung, 219 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:53,600 drawn and quartered. 220 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,760 Now you're in the dock, fighting for your life. 221 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,120 What we need, to get a flavour of the atmosphere 222 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:01,760 at the time, is to find someone who was actually here. 223 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:04,680 In 1948, Peggy Durante was just 18 years old. 224 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:07,440 She was the jury's summoning officer and still clearly remembers the time 225 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,520 James Camb took to the dock. 226 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:16,680 He was a very debonair little chap, he could hardly see above the dock! 227 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:21,880 Of course, in his uniform, he looked quite suave. 228 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,320 However, in the Great Hall, things took an unexpected 229 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,680 turn for Peggie when, like Gay Gibson, she was pushed 230 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,080 through the porthole. 231 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:32,520 It was during the lunch hour. 232 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:42,480 There was nobody in court except myself and a couple of policemen. 233 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,560 And as I happened to be there... 234 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:55,680 They said, Peg, do you think that you could get through the porthole? 235 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:57,200 No, I couldn't get through there. 236 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,080 They lifted me up and I had to go very, very limp. 237 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,800 For years, I never even thought about it. 238 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,680 I still can't make up my mind whether he did or didn't. 239 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:15,520 There's doubts in my mind. 240 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,040 The story of the trial and the tragic events have been 241 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:19,400 mentioned in many publications. 242 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,240 But perhaps one of the strangest references is actually in a book 243 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:23,720 about one of my comedy heroes. 244 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:25,880 Sid James was one of Britain's much loved stars. 245 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:35,800 I can remember watching Carry On films on video many, many times. 246 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,000 But one author claims that he had a link to Gay Gibson. 247 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:40,880 In a biography written by author Cliff Goodwin, 248 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,760 he alleges Sid James had an affair with Gay Gibson in 1946. 249 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,880 He also stated that after her death, Sid was questioned by police upon 250 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:52,160 suspicion of arranging her murder. 251 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,360 If it wasn't so serious it would be hilarious. 252 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:56,480 I mean, Sid's involvement with Gay Gibson is complete 253 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:57,560 and utter nonsense. 254 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,600 What advice would you give to a man asked to judge a beauty 255 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:01,800 contest for the first time? 256 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,240 Leave your wife at home, mate! 257 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,680 People think of Sid James as the Carry On actor 258 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:07,360 and Hancock's Half Hour and all that. 259 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,560 But he was a massive star in South Africa. 260 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:11,680 Then he came to England to make his fortune. 261 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,600 I did a lot of research on this and the bottom line 262 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,440 here is that Gay Gibson was not in South Africa in 1946. 263 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,080 There is no evidence at all! 264 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,160 But unfortunately, because of this book and because of the internet 265 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,720 and you can search the case and it comes up with Sid James every 266 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:28,880 single time, he is now associated with this case. 267 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,280 A lot of people forget that the Carry On actors, 268 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:33,480 they are real people, they're just actors playing parts. 269 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,320 Despite the allegations published by author Cliff Goodwin, 270 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,680 there's nothing mentioned in the formal police files about any 271 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:47,720 investigation of Sid James. 272 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,600 In your association with Miss Gibson in her cabin that night, 273 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,440 you received no injuries from her at all? 274 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,240 To the best of my knowledge, no. 275 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,040 You are not suggesting some of them were caused by Miss Gibson? 276 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,800 Some of them might have been. 277 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,840 What I said was that I had caused the original scratches. 278 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,560 This is what you said in your statement... 279 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:09,880 I received no injury of any sort while in the company of Miss Gibson. 280 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:11,560 Do you want to alter that now? 281 00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:14,760 No. 282 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,200 These are the actual photographs taken by the police of the scratches 283 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,480 on James Camb's body. 284 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,560 The medical aspects of the case are obviously a key part 285 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,360 of what was supposed to help the jury decide upon the actual 286 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:29,480 events of the time. 287 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,040 What we need, though, is more clear information about Gay Gibson, 288 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,680 the state of her health. 289 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,280 Remarkably, I've managed to track down someone 290 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:37,800 who was with Gay in 1947. 291 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:39,680 Just before she boarded the Durban Castle for 292 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:46,480 that fateful voyage. 293 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:52,440 Her last performance in South Africa was in a play called Golden Boy. 294 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:59,080 In the cast was a young lady who would later become a familiar 295 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,920 face on British television in the sitcom One Foot in the Grave. 296 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,200 She wasn't a well girl. 297 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,080 And this is important because it was part of what I gave 298 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,440 to the defence when they came out to see me. 299 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:09,840 I saw her faint during rehearsal. 300 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,280 I knew that she went blue. 301 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:12,800 I knew nothing about medicine, really. 302 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:17,040 But they said, oh, this is a heart condition she's got. 303 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:21,840 When she went blue, how did she go blue? 304 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:27,680 Round her mouth. 305 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:32,000 Really? 306 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:40,840 Yes. 307 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:42,080 And what about her hands? 308 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,920 Yes, she bit her nails and her hands went sort of blueish. 309 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:45,960 I don't know... 310 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:47,080 I remember this. 311 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,400 We shared a dressing room and she was very kind 312 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:50,440 and warm and friendly. 313 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,880 But this was somebody who knew about travel and knew 314 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,760 about being with important people and so on. 315 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:56,000 And she had older boyfriends. 316 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,360 I remember her having a big argument with Mike Abel. 317 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:00,080 And accusing him of making her pregnant. 318 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,800 Doreen originally wanted to come to England to help the defence 319 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:08,960 team by giving evidence about Gay's poor health. 320 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:10,920 But her father talked her out of going. 321 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,160 However, her colleague, Mike Abel, did make the journey. 322 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,000 What was your general impression of her health? 323 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:16,000 That she was ill. 324 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,640 Time and again, at my house, when I held a party 325 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,000 for her and the cast, she went out into the 326 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:22,160 garden and fainted. 327 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,000 On another occasion she was walking across the road outside the theatre 328 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:34,960 and suddenly fainted in the centre. 329 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,720 You were there then and saw her faint? 330 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:38,760 Yes. 331 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:40,640 Did you notice anything about her face then? 332 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,520 I noticed that in the corners of her mouth was white saliva. 333 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,160 Did you notice anything about her lips? 334 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:46,640 There was a slight blueish colour. 335 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,920 The health of Gay Gibson is an incredibly important 336 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,600 part of this trial. 337 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,400 In fact, you could argue that the verdict really depends on it. 338 00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:00,200 Why? 339 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:04,880 If Gay Gibson did suffer from any sort of health condition that 340 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:13,200 could have led to sudden, natural death, it increases 341 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:17,080 the chances of misadventure or even manslaughter. 342 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,400 In other words, James Camb could be telling the truth. 343 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:20,840 You're the mother of Eileen Gibson? 344 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:21,960 Yes. 345 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,360 I'm very proud to be the mother of Eileen Gibson. 346 00:17:24,360 --> 00:17:27,160 Generally speaking, for the whole of her life, how was her health? 347 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:28,280 Excellent. 348 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:30,640 She was one of the finest types of English womanhood. 349 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:31,720 Physically, mentally and morally. 350 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,520 In December 1946, did you hear that she had been taken ill? 351 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:35,640 Never. 352 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,080 Did you know your daughter was going about with several 353 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:39,080 men in Johannesburg? 354 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:40,920 My daughter was not going about with men. 355 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,360 She was not interested in men. 356 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:43,640 Her career was her life. 357 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:51,480 Did you know that she was telling everybody that she was pregnant? 358 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:53,920 My daughter was not pregnant. 359 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:55,920 The account of Gay Gibson's character as described 360 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:00,480 by her own mother simply doesn't fit with what other witnesses 361 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:03,280 from the time have said. 362 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,880 It does seem that most people were aware of her having 363 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:07,120 some form of a problem. 364 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:10,000 And there might be one way that we can definitely find out. 365 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,400 Within the police files saved by the Hampshire Police Society 366 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,000 from destruction, there is an item that actually belonged to Gay. 367 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:16,040 Her hair brush. 368 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,240 And on it, some very obvious strands of hair. 369 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,120 Could these hold genetic information about her health? 370 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:25,720 After a lot of research, I managed to track down one 371 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:32,240 of the world's leading organisations for genetic examinations. 372 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:38,280 Based in the United States, they are the people who could tell 373 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,880 me what secrets the hair on the brush could be holding. 374 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,040 What can we actually get from the hair, bearing 375 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:48,320 in mind it is 70 years old? 376 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:53,960 After 70 years, and particularly on hair, the DNA information that 377 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,040 you would acquire would be mitochondrial DNA information. 378 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,680 Unfortunately, it would not have information, really, 379 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:05,480 relating to a disease state in your victim. 380 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:06,640 It is very frustrating. 381 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:08,080 This actually belonged to Gay Gibson. 382 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,400 It hasn't been back in the Great Hall since the events of March 1948. 383 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,560 And it seems the technology isn't practical enough to tell us what may 384 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:16,400 live within the actual strands and follicles that 385 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:18,200 sit upon the brush. 386 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,800 But maybe one day it can give us a true picture 387 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:21,880 of Gay Gibson's health. 388 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:30,320 The future could really be the key to the past. 389 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:34,240 But the mystery doesn't end there. 390 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:36,440 Thanks to one other item belonging to Gay Gibson. 391 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:38,800 What happened was that on the morning that Gay Gibson 392 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,280 disappeared, Eileen Field went into the cabin and noticed her 393 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,400 yellow dressing gown and the black pyjamas were missing. 394 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:45,080 No one gave any thought to it. 395 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:47,240 Until the trial came here, to the Great Hall. 396 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:53,760 Because when James Camb took to the witness box, 397 00:19:53,760 --> 00:20:01,080 he said that Gay Gibson was naked underneath the yellow dressing gown. 398 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,760 Therefore, they should be in the cabin. 399 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:10,000 Where are they? 400 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,760 They're not there. 401 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:13,200 They're missing. 402 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,080 Within the official police files, there is a statement from a man 403 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:18,720 who walked into Cheltenham police station a couple of months after 404 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,040 the trial and told the officers a very interesting story. 405 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:22,080 Now the news headlines. 406 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:23,200 John Langham... 407 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,000 He claimed he had a conversation in a pub with a guy 408 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:27,080 called John Langham. 409 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,520 John Langham was a well-known household name of the time. 410 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,880 He said that Langham had told him that his dentist had shown him Gay's 411 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,760 black pyjamas and told him he had slept with her on the 412 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,880 Durban Castle prior to her involvement with James Camb. 413 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,880 But could this really be true? 414 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:43,000 They were both dead so I couldn't confirm it. 415 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,680 But I thought I could refute it. 416 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,320 How could I do that? 417 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,920 Well, I would just show that there was no dentist travelling 418 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,440 first class on Gay Gibson's voyage. 419 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,800 The story is then false. 420 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,360 So I got the list out and started to run my finger down the columns. 421 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,800 There is no dentist here. 422 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:05,880 This is false. 423 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:07,480 Until I got to name number 58. 424 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:09,080 The second bottom on the list. 425 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:10,160 Dental surgeon. 426 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:11,920 A dentist, there was a dentist travelling first 427 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:13,000 class on Gay's voyage. 428 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,600 What is the chance there was a dentist on every voyage? 429 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,280 Well, what I decided to do to check that was to take a large sample 430 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,560 of Union Castle liners that were travelling from Cape Town 431 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:22,680 to Southampton in 1947. 432 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:24,080 I looked at a further eight. 433 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:30,640 In addition to the Durban Castle. 434 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,160 I looked at the first-class passengers and they 435 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:38,160 totalled 900 passengers. 436 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:40,160 How many of them were dentists? 437 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:41,760 Three. 438 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:43,080 Three in 900? 439 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,200 The only dentist of the right age and single happened to be on... 440 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:47,240 On that very voyage? 441 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:49,240 This report could add credence to Camb's story. 442 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:51,000 He said there were no black pyjamas there. 443 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:52,120 There weren't. 444 00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:55,240 They told Southampton Police about it but as far as I can tell, 445 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:56,640 no more investigations were carried out. 446 00:21:56,640 --> 00:22:00,480 This material could have completely changed the verdict of the jury. 447 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:01,920 These documented events clearly support Camb's 448 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:03,800 insistence that she was not wearing any pyjamas. 449 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:06,000 It could have been enough to convince them that 450 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:11,480 Camb was an honest man and to believe his whole story. 451 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,080 This evidence wasn't available at the time of the trial. 452 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,080 And on March 22nd 1948, in front of a packed public gallery, 453 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:19,320 James Camb heard the verdict. 454 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:29,200 Members of the jury, are you all agreed on your verdict? 455 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:35,840 Yes. 456 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,120 Do you find the prisoner at the bar, James Camb, guilty or not guilty? 457 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:40,240 Guilty. 458 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,640 James Camb, a deck steward, was found guilty and sentenced 459 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:44,760 to death for the murder of Eileen Gibson in 460 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:45,840 the liner Durban Castle. 461 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:51,680 The jury took 45 minutes to reach their verdict. 462 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:58,360 Do you remember the sentencing? 463 00:22:58,360 --> 00:22:59,640 I remember the sentencing, yes. 464 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:01,240 I don't think he showed much emotion. 465 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:11,200 On the night he was sentenced to death, my brother phoned me 466 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,120 and said the verdict has come through. 467 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:20,560 I was in a terrible state. 468 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,480 I said, I could have saved his life. 469 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:24,400 Because I don't know that he did it. 470 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,040 To conclude, I would like to quote Joshua Casswell, Camb's barrister. 471 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,160 He said, no one can be sure about what happened in this case, 472 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:37,600 except James Camb himself. 473 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:39,280 James Camb, you stand convicted of murder. 474 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,360 My Lords, at the opening of this case I was asked to plead 475 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:43,440 guilty or not guilty. 476 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,840 I pleaded not guilty and I repeat that statement now. 477 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,400 James Camb, the sentence of the court upon you is that you be 478 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,800 taken from hence to a lawful prison and thence to a place of execution 479 00:23:52,800 --> 00:24:02,760 and that you there be hanged by the neck until you be dead. 480 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:14,440 And may the Lord have mercy upon your soul. 481 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,760 My opinion about the case is the prosecution had a strong case 482 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,800 but there will always be question marks over circumstantial evidence. 483 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,720 So what actually happened to James Camb? 484 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,160 Well, just weeks after the verdict and an unsuccessful appeal, 485 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,520 Parliament discussed a no-hanging bill and his sentence was commuted 486 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:47,480 to life imprisonment. 487 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,320 Winston Churchill even felt the need to comment on Camb's 488 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:51,400 escape from the gallows. 489 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,280 In Parliament, he said the House of Commons has, by its vote, 490 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:56,680 saved the life of the brutal, lascivious murderer who thrust 491 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,280 the poor girl he had raped and assaulted through a porthole 492 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:00,760 of the ship to the sharks. 493 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,360 In 1959, Camb was released from prison and in his only 494 00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:11,440 interview, continued to protest his innocence. 495 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,760 Winston Churchill even felt the need to comment on Camb's 496 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:14,880 escape from the gallows. 497 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,720 In Parliament, he said the House of Commons has, by its vote, 498 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,120 saved the life of the brutal, lascivious murderer who thrust 499 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:22,680 the poor girl he had raped and assaulted through a porthole 500 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:24,200 of the ship to the sharks. 501 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,880 In 1959, Camb was released from prison and in his only 502 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:28,320 interview, continued to protest his innocence. 503 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,440 He was later arrested again for other sexual offences. 504 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,560 But the only accusation he ever faced of being 505 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:34,240 violent was at the trial of 1948. 506 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:34,880 The events surrounding this detailed case are still debated today. 507 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,680 The events surrounding this detailed case are still debated today. 508 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:39,240 But maybe one day we will know the undisputed truth behind 509 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:49,240 the Porthole Mystery.