Donald guides nearly one in three of our Ripper Walks. He guides it five times a fortnight: every Sunday night, alternate Monday nights, alternate Tuesday nights, and alternate Friday nights. The only exception to the above is when he’s on holiday – or, God forbid, ill.
Now if you’re reading this and wondering, “Who’s Donald Rumbelow?”…well, he is, as The Jack the Ripper A to Z puts it, “internationally recognised as the leading authority on Jack the Ripper”. He’s written the definitive book on the subject: The Complete Jack the Ripper. He’s Britain’s most distinguished crime historian, he’s the former Chairman of the Crime Writers Association; he’s the former Curator of the London Police Crime Museum. And he’s not some dry-as-dust academic. He’s a former City of London Police Sergeant who pursued a dual career as a crime historian. Which means you’re taken over some of the most famous crime scenes in the world by a law enforcement professional. Can’t be bad! Oh, I almost forgot…in addition to everything else, he’s also a top flight professionally qualified London Blue Badge guide.
And if you’d like to see Don in action, you’re right where you should be, because we’ve made a very special little video trailer of the walk – click here and you’re there!
Just one tip…please make absolutely certain that it’s Donald – or if it’s another night, one of his London Walks colleagues – that you get hooked up with. Never set out with anyone – or part with your money – until you’re certain it is the bona fideLondon Walks guide you’re with. I stress that because occasionally there’s some sharp practice going on there. Sometimes there’s a character there shortly before our walk who says he’s giving “the Jack the Ripper walk”. He’s very cagey. People have asked him, “Is this the 7.30 pm Jack the Ripper walk?” and he’s replied, “Yes, this is the Jack the Ripper Walk, we’re just leaving a little bit early tonight”. Anyway, the way to make sure you’re with the bona fide London Walks guide is that they will be holding up the distinctive white London Walks leaflet. The scammer has not gone that far…yet. (Oh, and the meeting point for the walk is just outside the exit of Tower Hill Tube.)
And there are other ways of sorting the sheep from the goats. For one thing, Donald and the other London Walks guides never ever start the Jack the Ripper Walk before 7.30 pm If anyone tries to get you to go before 7.30 pm and tells you that “this is the London Walks Jack the Ripper Walk”…well, someone’s trying to pull a fast one on you. Donald also often holds up a copy of his book. And indeed he wears his Blue Badge…the copycat has no professional qualifications whatsoever, so he won’t be sporting a Blue Badge…. And finally Donald bears a striking resemblance to the late American actor, Robert Mitchum. Sorry to belabour this, but we’ve had real problems with this on occasion…people turning up hoping to go on the Jack the Ripper walk with the world’s leading expert on the subject and discovering later – to their bitter disappointment – that they’ve had the wool pulled over their eyes.