Ephraim Jordan
Police Constable H.189 ( Warrant No. 20,613), London Metropolitan Police
Ephraim Jordan was born in 1809 in Wells in Somerset. His father, Walter, was the local Wheelwright, a trade he hoped his son would follow. Ephraim had other ideas and like most boys he craved adventure. Ephraim's mother, Lily, was the daughter of a minister and had been well schooled. During the evenings Lily taught Ephraim at home and as such he was well educated, unlike many of his close friends.
He continued helping his father with the business until 1828 when he joined the Army serving with 55th Regiment Foot. He rose to the rank of sergeant and saw action in the Anglo-Chinese war (Opium War) when the unit was despatched to Hong Kong in 1841. He was wounded at the battle of Amoy on August 24th 1841 and spent several months recuperating and took no further part in the campaign.
In September 1842 he was shipped back to England where he left the army and returned to his home town assisting his father once more. One day in June 1843 he was visiting an old army comrade in London when he witnessed an elderly gentlemen accosted and robbed of his cane and hat. Ephraim gave chase to the assailant and tackled him to the ground. He then dragged the offender to a nearby station house, presenting the miscreant and the recovered property to the sergeant on duty. The sergeant then encouraged Ephraim to join the London Metropolitan Police.
Three months later Ephraim became PC 189 stationed at Leman street, Whitechapel (H division). Interestingly on one warm evening in 1844 Ephraim was sent to a disturbance at a known Brothel in Mill-Yard. The drunken miscreant, responsible for two assaults and one broken sign, was arrested (after a violent struggle) by Ephraim and a colleague, PC 175 Joseph Smalley. The offender was none other than the original offender Ephraim had arrested on that trip to London, a one Thomas "Saltbox" Archer. This drunken thieving thug and his wife "Slogger" Rose were soon to be the bane of Ephraim's life......
