Genealogical Notes

by **Karen** Sat 27 Feb 2010 - 13:51

I have just located some interesting information on Nathan Shine, a man who just may have witnessed a Ripper crime in progress on the night of September 30, 1888. According to Nathan Shine's own oral statement first told to his parents and later his children, on 30th of September 1888, Nathan Shine alleges that he left a working man's social club in Commercial Street, Whitechapel, London, England heading for his home. On turning into Berner Street from Commercial Street at approximately 1:00 am he saw a man holding a large narrow bladed knife standing over a woman who was lying on the ground motionless. The man stared straight into the face of Nathan and then turned and made a swift retreat from the scene. At the same time, Nathan ran away in the opposite direction and took another route to his home fearing for his life. It appears that Nathan disturbed the man seconds after the woman had been killed. Nathan Shine told of his experience to his parents but the episode was not mentioned again for many years, as for fears of reprisals, either from the murderer or anti-Semetic gangs.

Source: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/a/s/Anthony-Sassienie-/FILE/0108page.html

Here is some genealogical information on the Shine family, including photographs and census information. See the link at the bottom of the page.

THE SHINES

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Barnett Shine born about 1864 (Witness's brother)

The Shines came from somewhere in Germany and I haven’t found out when they arrived in this country but the first, official, mention of them is the 1861 census where they are living in Dorset Street.

The second Nathan Shine who was born in 1870 is one of the very few people who may have seen the killer known as ‘Jack the Ripper’. On 30th September 1888, when he was only 18, Nathan said that he had left a working man’s social club in Commercial Street, Whitechapel heading for home. On turning into Berner St. at approx. 1.00am he saw a man holding a large narrow bladed knife standing over a woman who was lying motionless on the ground. It appears that Nathan had disturbed the man seconds after the woman had been killed. His story is very credible as the incident he described exactly matches in with the official police reports of the time. It followed that the body of ELIZABETH STRIDE was not mutilated. Mutilation was the usual practice of Jack the Ripper after a kill and it was concluded that Jack the Ripper was probably disturbed only moments after he stabbed Elizabeth Stride to death.

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Nathan Shine born 1895 (Witness's Son)

The third Nathan Shine (shown above), who was born in 1895, was a hero in our family for his actions during the First World War. Nathan and his brother Joseph, who was born in 1897, both joined the East London Regiment in 1914 as they lived in Old Ford, Bow.

One evening they were patrolling along a road where they were supposed to be guarding a school and after a while Joseph tells Nathan that the school had been there for years and would still be there the next day and as he had a date to go on he was going to disappear for the rest of the evening. So he went and left Nathan all alone on patrol. As luck would have it an officer discovered Nathan was patrolling alone. Joseph was disciplined for going AWOL and Nathan was disciplined for not reporting his brother. Their punishment was that they were both dishonourably discharged. They both decided to enlist again in another regiment and Nathan insisted on Joseph telling him which regiment he would join so that he could make sure he (Nathan) could join a different one.

Joseph ended up in the Horse Artillery and whilst in France he was shot in the thigh by a sniper and seriously wounded. Meanwhile Nathan joined the Northamptonshire Regiment and for at least some of the time he was a stretcher bearer. In the course of performing his duties Nathan Shine was awarded the Military Medal, which was announced in the London Gazette on 14th September 1916 and on 12th June 1918 the London Gazette announced that he was awarded a bar to the Military Medal.

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Barnett & Hannah Shine on holiday in Southsea 1938

Source: http://www.mandy-janes.co.uk/SHINE/shines.htm