
Rebels Lane
Adventures of the Mind
Prime Suspect
My First encounter with Peter Doxsey
It must have 1967 when as an 18 year old I was called to serve in the Young Men’s presidency. One evening I attended a meeting with the other Southend youth leaders held in the home of brother and sister Brown located in Southchurch. During the meeting I had to excuse myself and use the downstairs w.c. which meant going out of the kitchen back door into the garden. A day or so after the meeting, much to my surprise, I was apprehended and taken to the Southend central police station where I was interrogated by a CID officer.

Apparently, during the time we held that meeting sister Brown had her handbag stolen, which she had left on a table in the kitchen. As I had passed through the kitchen I was the prime suspect of the crime!
The CID officer tried to persuade me to come clean and confess the crime, which of course I did not. Because I was a member of the church he decided to hand me over to his chief who was Peter Doxsey. In all honesty, I felt no fear whatsoever as Peter tried to use our shared faith as a lever to encourage a confession. This was the first time I met Peter’s acquaintance. His voice was his trade mark. He was so lovable. Years later as bishop of Southend I came to know him and his other skills even better. He shall be missed but never forgotten.
Â
Oh, and in case you are wondering, there were other robberies in the neighbourhood where we held our meeting and the thief was caught.
Â