The Rediscovered Annals of Sherlock Holmes, page 1
The Rediscovered Annals of Sherlock Holmes
Previously Uncollected Accounts of the Heroes of Baker Street
Terry Golledge
Published in 2022 by
MX Publishing
www.mxpublishing.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
Copyright © 2022 Terry Golledge
Curated by Niel Golledge
Edited by David Marcum
Editor Foreword ©2022 by David Marcum
Cover design by Brian Belanger
The right of Terry Golledge to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Editor’s Foreword: Rediscovered Treasures
by David Marcum
As I’ve noted elsewhere, I discovered Sherlock Holmes in 1975, when I was ten years old. Of course, I was aware of this universally known figure before that, but I can be specific as to when I actually discovered Holmes – reading my first Holmes adventure, and owning my first Holmes book.
Not long after, I discovered those post-Canonical adventures known as pastiches – before I’d even found and read all of The Canon. Nicholas Meyer created the new Golden Age of Holmes with his 1974 novel, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and I was right there, enjoying every bit of it as it grew. The fire that Nick lit had more gasoline poured upon it the following year with his film version of his book, and that fire has only grown bigger in the nearly fifty years since.
After reading through the pitifully few sixty stories of the original Canon a few times, I realized that it simply wasn’t enough. Those very few recollections of limited pieces of Holmes and Watson’s lives only provided the barest hint of The Great Holmes Tapestry. I knew that there must be more.
Over the years, I could only find a few new Holmes adventures each year, usually by accident. There was no internet then, so I could only discover new Holmes adventures when I ran across one in a bookstore, or perhaps on a library shelf. But as I grew older, I was able to winkle out more and more – one seemed to lead to another, and eventually I’ve managed to collect almost every traditional Canonical pastiche that’s been written. (My wife is an amazing and tolerant person, and I give thanks for her every day.)
I’ve collected, read, and chronologicized literally thousands of Canonical Holmes pastiches since the mid-1970’s in the form of books, short stories, radio and television episodes, movies and scripts, comics, fan fiction, and unpublished manuscripts, but I’ll never have all of them, because some are so rare that it just isn’t worth the cost to obtain them, and others are hidden away, known only to a few people – or maybe even just one.
I’ve now personally written and published nearly one-hundred Holmes pastiche of my own, but when I wrote my first ones, back in 2008 while laid off from an engineering job, I never intended that they would be seen by anyone else. It was simply an exercise to see if I could do it, and because I wanted to contribute in a small way to that bigger part of the Holmes world that I admired so much – pastiches. But gradually I had the itch to show them to someone, and then another person, and the feedback was positive, leading to the idea that maybe they should be published after all. It was a slippery sublime slope, and one of the best life-changing decisions that I ever made.
There are other people out there like I was – they started writing Holmes pastiches just to be a part of The Great Holmes Tapestry – even if nobody knew it but themselves. (Those are the pastiches that I don’t know about and can’t collect and read.) Some of these authors never intended to share their efforts, and they still haven’t. Others eventually went ahead and cracked open the door and saw their stories published. It’s an addiction, as they know, and writing one leads to writing more.
Terry Golledge wrote a number of Holmes adventures in the 1980’s and 1990’s before his death, and sadly they remained unknown for too long – until now, when they’re finally being shared with the world.
In early 2022, I received an email from Niel Golledge, Terry’s son, with a sample story, “The Addleton Tragedy”. Terry had written it, along with nine others, before his death, but they were never published. Niel had recently approached another editor about them, but that chap felt that it would be too much work to convert and prepare the original typewritten manuscripts for modern publication. That was his massive mistake, for it was absolutely worth the extra editorial work, as Terry Golledge’s stories are both wonderful and Watsonian.
Niel graciously agreed to let me edit the entire set, and then to initially include six of them in the Spring 2022 volumes of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories – 2022 Annual (Parts XXXI, XXXII, and XXXIII). The royalties from this series go to support the Undershaw school for special needs students at Undershaw, located in Hindhead, England, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former homes. The MX anthologies were created in 2015 to present traditional Canonical Holmes adventures set in the correct period, and with Holmes and Watson portrayed as the heroes they were, rather than how they were being shown more and more in various contemporary books and television programs.
Initially, the MX anthologies were supposed to be a one-time project, but they were so popular that they kept going, and we’re now at 33 volumes – with more in preparation! They contain over 750 traditional Canonical pastiches from over 200 contributors worldwide. By June 2022, the books have raised over $100,000 for the school – that’s One-Hundred-Thousand Dollars!!! – and I’m told by the school that of even more importance is how the books have made the world aware of the school.
Niel Golledge generously agreed to allow the royalties from the six stories included in the Spring 2022 MX Anthologies to be donated to Undershaw, and he’s also doing the same with the royalties from this volume, containing all of his father’s Holmes pastiches.
***
Terry Golledge (according to his son Niel) had a life-long love of all things Conan Doyle, and in particular Sherlock Holmes. This was obviously inspired by the fact that his mother worked as a governess for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for several years in the early Twentieth Century when he lived in Windlesham, Crowborough in Sussex. She married Terry’s father after leaving Sir Arthur’s employment around 1918.
Terry was born in 1920 in the East End of London, and left school at fourteen, like so many back then. In 1939, he joined the army in the fight against the Germans in World War II. He left the Army in 1945 at the war’s end, residing in Hastings. There he met his wife, and his life was a mish-mash of careers, including mining and bus and lorry driving. He owned a couple of book shops, selling them in the 1960’s. He then worked for the Post office, (later to become British Telecom, equivalent to AT&T), ending his working life there as a training instructor before his retirement.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, Terry Golledge wrote these Holmes stories as a retirement project and he passed away in 1996.
***
As mentioned above, I am always on the lookout for more Holmes pastiches. Being the editor of the MX Anthologies, as well as quite a few other Holmes anthologies, has allowed me to meet – in person and by email – hundreds of amazing Sherlockians and writers. It has also put me in the position where my love and support of Sherlockian pastiche is well known, and therefore I receive over two-hundred new pastiches every year. Occasionally I also receive additional unexpected treasures, such as the stories in this collection.
Terry Golledge’s stories perfectly capture Watson’s voice and Holmes’s personality and methods. I am thrilled that Niel Golledge reached out to me, and then trusted me to edit them, and that he is generous enough to allow the book’s royalties to be donated to Undershaw.
I know that there are other caches of unknown Holmes pastiches out there – perhaps by authors who passed away before sharing them, or written by living authors who just create for themselves – and I hope that by seeing these, other treasures will be nudged into the light.
In the meantime, we have these ten amazing stories, thanks to Terry Golledge who wrote them, and Niel Golledge who curated them and then sent them into an appreciative world. I know that you’ll enjoy them as much as I have, with both joy and a tinge of sadness because there won’t be any more from such a talented Sherlockian author.
David Marcum
July 20th, 2022
The Rediscovered Annals of Sherlock Holmes
Terry Golledge (1920-1996)
A Recollection…
As the film drew to its improbable conclusion, the elderly man pulled himself from his chair to switch off the television set. For several seconds he stared at the blank screen with an expression of angry distaste before turni
“Why in Heaven’s name is Dr. Watson always portrayed as some kind of half-witted buffoon?” he muttered. “If only they had known him as he really was.”
He paused irresolutely. Then, going through to the bedroom, he opened a wardrobe and from the floor took a worn and scuffed leather case which he laid reverently on the table. He stroked the scratched leather with affection and smiled as his eye lit on the tarnished brass plate with the initials V.H. engraved thereon.
Opening the case to reveal the neat bundles of paper within, he picked up the topmost envelope and tapped it against the palm of his hand, as if remembering. Presently he extracted the single sheet of paper it contained and allowed his eyes to scan it lovingly, although he knew it by heart.
Dated July, 1956, it was brief and to the point:
My dear Henry,
As my only child, and indeed my only relative, you will naturally inherit what little I may leave on my death, but this old case and its contents may well prove to be the most valuable of my possessions, perhaps with the passing years even more so than either of us can envisage. I am bound not to make any of the material public during the lifetime of any of the protagonists, which virtually means also my own lifetime, as I know for a fact that the central figure still lives, although of a very great age. The letters enclosed with the other papers explain all and I leave you to make what you will of the matter.
Your affectionate father,
John H. Hunter
The man returned the sheet to the envelope, placing it back in the case and picking up another. This showed signs of much greater age, as indeed the stamp and postmark confirmed. It bore the date of May 12th, 1894 and was addressed in a tight angular hand to Miss Violet Hunter, Fiveways School, Walsall, Staffs. The letter inside gave evidence of being composed in circumstances of extreme agitation, this being borne out by the content.
My Dear Miss Hunter, [it began]
It is with a sense of shame and self-disgust that I pen these lines to you, not to excuse my conduct, but in the hope that you will understand how it was I came to act in such an indescribably caddish manner. It must appear that I callously abandoned you in a cold-blooded and cynical way, but I beg you to read on and find it in your heart to believe that I had no inkling of the shame and humiliation that I had inflicted on you.
After our brief but idyllic interlude fallowing the strange affair which I chronicled under the title of “The Copper Beeches”, I returned to my lodgings in Baker Street and was willy-nilly swept up in a flurry of activity with my friend and colleague Mr. Sherlock Holmes. I wrote to you on three occasions, the first two eliciting no response, the third missive being returned to me marked “Address Unknown”. Assuming that your interest in me had waned, I made no further advances, and as time passed, the memory of our brief liaison became less painful to bear. It was not until the reappearance last month of my friend after his reputed death that I became aware of the wrong I had done you. When we were in Birmingham on the matter of Mr. Hall Pycroft some five years ago, Holmes inadvertently heard of your situation, but in view of my marriage shortly before, he decided to keep his own counsel. It was on his return from the grave last month that he saw fit to put me in possession of the fact that you had borne a child of whom I was the father,
It was a bolt from the blue and my first impulse was to come to you in order to right the terrible wrong I had wrought. Holmes, wise as he is, dissuaded me from this course which might cause you embarrassment, advising me to write to you first to discover you feelings in the matter.
Whatever you thought of my conduct, please accept that I did not desert you heartlessly. A word would have brought me to your side, and if I can now make amends by offering you marriage, I will be proud and honoured by your acceptance. I am free of attachments, having been a widower for more than two years, and I offer you my complete and utter devotion. I remain,
Yours humbly,
John H. Watson
Shaking his head the man replaced this letter and taking out another, he read on.
My Dear Dr. Watson,
Thank you for your letter and the sentiments expressed therein. I knew through Mr. Holmes that you were ignorant of my condition and I hold no animosity towards you, as I bear at least as much responsibility as you do. I must decline your honourable offer of restitution, conscious as I am of the generous gesture that is typical of the gentleman that you are.
I feel it would not be in the boy’s best interest to make him aware of the circumstances. However, if, when he attains a more mature age, should you wish to meet him, I will place no obstacle in your way. My solicitor is instructed to inform you in the event of my death, but otherwise I think it best if we have no future communication.
Yours Sincerely,
Violet Hunter
“That must have shaken the old boy,” the man muttered to himself as he took the final letter from the battered case. It was dated July 1908 and ran:
My Dear John,
It is with deep sorrow that I learn of the death of your esteemed mother at such a tragically early age. To my dismay, I received no word of this unhappy event until the funeral had taken place, so please do not attribute my defection as indifference on my part. I have been on an extended visit to my old friend and colleague Mr. Sherlock Holmes who is now in retirement in Sussex.
In the seven years since you were made aware of our relationship, I like to think we have become firm friends, and it is a source of regret that your mother would never consent to meeting me. Should you at any time be in need of assistance, financial or whatever, please do not hesitate to approach me. Although I am by no means a wealthy man, what I have is at your disposal, but meanwhile I enclose something that has little value in itself, but may in time be an interesting addition to what is known of the greatest and wisest man it has been my privilege to call friend.
These are the accounts of several cases in which I was associated with Sherlock Holmes, and for obvious reasons there is an embargo on their publication for many years to come. Cherish them well, and if at any time you wish to bring a little cheer into the life of a sinful old man, you know where to find me.
I Remain,
Your Loving Father,
John H. Watson
Dr. Watson’s grandson laid this last letter aside to pick up the remaining item in the case, a folder of manuscripts which he carried over to the chair in the living room. For several minutes he sat with it on his knee, a far-away look in his still-sharp eyes, reflecting that although the doctor’s self-deprecatory style may have created an impression of naive obtuseness, it was unthinkable that Sherlock Holmes would have suffered for so many years the kind of dim-wit so often portrayed on film and television. Henry Hunter recalled that as a very young boy he had been taken on a visit to the old man, shortly before his death in 1929. Across the years, he could still remember the kindly eyes and slow firm voice of the man who, for almost fifty years, had been privy to the workings of one of the most brilliant minds of his age.
He opened the folder to look once more on the familiar handwriting of a century ago, again feeling a nostalgia for a world he had never known. A world of gas-light and horse-drawn carriages when the British Empire spread over a quarter of the earth’s surface, and seemed likely to endure as long as time itself.
Henry Hunter began to read, and his mind became part of that bygone age as he immersed himself in the atmosphere evoked by the out-moded phrases and less abrupt manners of the England of Sherlock Holmes…
The Pihdarus Papers
I took the stairs of our rooms in Baker Street two at a time and threw my Gladstone bag into a corner of the sitting room. Sherlock Holmes was sitting with the cold remains of a belated breakfast, the pages of the morning papers strewn in careless confusion beside his chair and a look of boredom on his hawk-like face. As I entered he gave me a sardonic look, accompanied by a twitch of the lips.
“Ah, the traveller returns!” he observed. “I trust your sojourn in the Midlands was a pleasant one?”
