A walk in the woods
Chief Inspector
Carslake Player C
You are a Chief Inspector
of the Sussex Constabulary, normally based at Ticehurst in the east of the
County. Last night you stayed in the George Hotel Lewes ready for a conference
at Headquarters today. Instead you were collected from your Hotel at four
oclock for emergency duty. During the night there has been a large jail break
from the Sladewood Prison with perhaps hundreds of prisoners out on the loose.
Some of these prisoners are exceedingly dangerous, either having long sentences
or awaiting trial for capital offenses. Some prison warders have been murdered!
It is thought that this was a well-planned operation, with Dynamite being used
in more than one location, to effect the escape.
Most of the prisoners will be in grey uniforms with the black broad
arrows on it but it is thought that civilian clothes may have been left for
selected men. Probably the most dangerous ones! The Chief Constable has been
sending such men as he has available to the area. You with Police Clerk Jones
came with others on the Lewes to East Grinstead road to Wych Cross There you met
the local Super-Intendant Fellowes who was allocating officers to various
locations. Yours is the Arcadia Wood, an outlier of the Ashdown forest some
distance to the east of the prison. If escaped prisoners manage to reach the
Ashdown Forest it will be near to impossible to catch them. Your THQ (Temporary
Head-Quarters) will be in a Dutch Barn on the main Wych Cross to Sharpthorne
road at the east edge of the wood. Just beyond the west edge of Arcadia Wood is
Chief Inspector Tynesides THQ in another barn. He is responsible for covering
the area towards Sharpthorne. Already dispatched to your area are Inspector
Ireton with a megaphone and two rifle armed police. They are to try and block
the gap between wilder wood and the forest with orders to shoot any prisoners
who fail to respond to a challenge. With several warders murdered, all escaped
prisoners are under suspicion at present! Also on the Arcadia Wood road should
be a cycle patrol of three constables. One, PC Alvanny knows the area and its
inhabitants. Arcadia wood is owned by Dr Warbleton a renowned Entomologist
(Insect studier) and eccentric who lives in Elysia Lodge. He has allowed the
estate to grow wild and has in fact planted a Wilderness of foreign plants.
His wife Hypatia and her daughter Aspasia are members of the Crawley branch of
Fabiana, a
radical Womens Advancement organisation and also the Womans Freedom League
(One of the Suffragette organisations).
Mrs Warbleton has twice been arrested
for writing seditious tracts and Miss Aspasia is under suspicion for illegally
pasting up inflammatory posters. She has been spotted fleeing the scene several
times on her bicycle. She is also President of the ladies section of the Ashdown
Shooting Club. This is an organisation with a cavalier attitude to the safety of
the public! Miss Aspasia is known to possess both a rifle and a pistol.
Policemen are treated with extreme hostility at Elysia Lodge. The members of
staff have all been arrested at one time or another. There is no chance of
searching it without a police warrant and little hope of obtaining one at
present. This is one reason why your HQ is at the other end of the wood! The
other is that it blocks escape to the South to North Road at Wych Cross, a main
route to London. It is hoped that the Prison Governor of Sladewood will provide
you with a warder who can identify the most dangerous prisoners. Reinforcements
will be sent to you as they become available.
In fact when you
arrive at the Dutch barn Warder Elderly is waiting for you there. He tells you
that he has been serving in the Prisons A block where the most dangerous
prisoners were housed. He thinks he can recognise most of them. He has five
spare pairs of handcuffs. He tells you that apart from Inspector Ireton and his
two rifle armed police, six other police have arrived. One squad has gone to
cover the north edge of the wood and the other mounted on bicycles, is
patrolling up and down the road.
Right Jones and Elderly,
this is both my Headquarters and a road block. No one is to pass here
unchallenged. We will hold any prisoners the patrols capture here and as
reinforcements arrive I shall tell them where to patrol.
Soon you saw a black police
van approaching from the east and stood out to stop it.
You there! I must search
your vehicle for escaped prisoners! the driver stopped and four men emerged
from the rear, one of them in police uniform.
I am afraid that we do not have any. I
am Detective Inspector Hastings of Scotland Yard and these are my Sergeant
Longscape, the detective Mr Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson. We are
come searching for the ruined F.C. Mount Charcoal processing factory. There is a
suspicion that some of the prisoners may be heading for it. It was used as an
explosives factory by Lennie Mead the safe cracker. Do you know where it is?
I am afraid not, I am Chief Inspector
Carslake. I come from Ticehurst and do not know this area at all. There are an
Inspector Ireton and some men out in the wood. He has armed police to block
anyone trying to reach the Ashdown forest. You should have met our cycle patrol
on the road?
No! returned Inspector Hastings but
one of the others said he had seen them parked up at the other end of the wood.
I suppose you had better go look for
your factory. I expect some of our men in the wood will know where it is. I have
only my clerk and a warder from the prison here as yet. I see you have a police
van which I must commandeer. Driver, go to Wych Cross so that you can bring any
reinforcements you meet at the station or on the road to here. We cannot afford
to let any escapees reach the Ashdown Forest! They will be lost for good in
there!
So the van trotted away and the Detective Inspector and his men set off back up the road on foot. (Flag A1) It was now daylight and in the distance you could see the cycle patrol coming towards them Flag C1.
It is a dry day, sunny with cloudy intervals.
Movement on the paths and track are at normal rate, minus two inches for furtive
or searching rates. Movement through the overgrown woodlands is at half plus 1
rate with minus two inches for furtive or searching. * = local officers
THQ
C.
Inspector Carslake
Lea, Ac +1, Mo 6,
Fa 1/1/2 Ag -1, Mar 0, Th, 0, Me +1
M. Revolver BSt 2
Firing 3 5+ Pst 0, 6 6+ Pst 0, 11 7+ Pst 0, 5 rounds. Watch, Lamp, Handcuffs,
Police whistle 24. Class V, Respectable
Charm 0, Coercion +2.
MC £2 10s 4d,
P. Clerk
Jones WA,
Mo 6, Fa 2/2/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me +1 Revolver Bst 2
Revolver Firing 3
6+ Pst 0, 6 7+ Pst 0, 11 8+ Pst 0, 18 7+ Pst 2, 5 rounds Watch
Notebook, lamp,
Class IV, PI Respectable, Charm M-1
F +1, Coercion 0.
MC £0 1s 2d.
Police whistle 24, 1st Aid Kit
Warder
Elderly
WA, Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
Watch lamp, Class
IV, PI Respectable, Charm M-2 F 0,
Coercion +1.
MC £0 3s 4d. Police whistle, 5 pairs handcuffs.
Gun Line
In position covering gap to Ashdown Forest.
Inspector Ireton* Vle
Ac +1, Mo 6, Fa
1/1/2 Ag -1, Mar 0, Th, 0, Me +1
M. Revolver BSt 2
Firing 3 6+ Pst 0, 6 7+ Pst 0, 11 7+ Pst 0, 5 rounds. Watch, Lamp, Handcuffs,
Loud Hailer 24 clear 36 indistinct. Police whistle 24.
Class V,
Respectable Charm 0, Coercion +2. MC
£0 10s 4d,
PC Baker
WA, Mo
6, Fa 2/2/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me +1 Hvy Rifle Bst 0
Rifle Firing 3 5+
Pst +2, 6 6+ Pst +2, 11 7+ Pst +2, 18 8+ Pst +2, 5 rounds
2 rds to reload 1 to aim & 1 to fire ,
MC £0-0-3d
Notebook, lamp,
Class IV, PI Respectable, Charm M-1
F 0, Coercion +1.
PC
Snider
WA, Mo 6, Fa 2/2/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me +1 Hvy Rifle Bst 0
Rifle Firing 3 5+
Pst +2, 6 6+ Pst +2, 11 7+ Pst +2, 18 8+ Pst +2, 5 rounds
2 rds to reload 1 to aim & 1 to fire ,
MC £0-0-2d
Notebook, lamp,
Class IV, PI Respectable, Charm M-1
F 0, Coercion +1.
PC
Houghton
WA +1, Mo 6 Fa 3/3/4 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 1s 0d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Bullseye lantern
PC
Alvanny*
WA 0, Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 0s 1d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Bullseye lantern Class IV
PC Rattle
WA 0, Mo 6, Fa
3/3/3 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 rattle Bst -1
MC £0 1s 1d,
Police rattle 24, Handcuffs, Bullseye lantern
Cycle Patrol
Cycle Road Searching move rate 7, normal 10 double 16 (Tracks -3)
PC
Nearly*
WA +1, Mo 6, Fa 2/3/3 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 1s 8d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Class IV
PC
Farthing
WA 0, Mo 6, Fa
2/3/3 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 1s 8d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Class IV
PC
Copwell
WA 0, Mo 6, Fa 2/3/3 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 0s 5d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Class IV
Horse Patrol
Arrival on chance card at THQ. Horses have +1 to shot noise dicing
Horse Road Searching move
rate 6, normal 8 double 16 (Tracks -3)
Fugitives test ADT within
6 for mounted Police FV3. +1 in melee v foot.
Inspector Larkhill Vle
Ac +1, Mo 6, Fa
2/2/3 Ag 0, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1
M. Revolver BSt 2
HB Firing 3 6+ Pst 0, 6 7+ Pst 0, 11 8+ Pst 0, 5 rounds.
Watch, Lamp,
Handcuffs, Police whistle 24. MC £1 7s -10d Class V
PC
Gorman WA
0, Mo 6, Fa 2/5/7 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 2 7d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Bullseye lantern Class IV
PC Trott
WA 0, Mo
6, Fa 2/5/7 Ag 1, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 truncheon Bst -1
MC £0 1s 1d,
Police whistle 24, Handcuffs, Bullseye lantern Class IV
Armed Foot Patrol
Arrival on chance card at THQ
Sergeant Learning
Vle WA 0
Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3 Ag 0, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 Pistol Bst 2,
M. Revolver BSt 2
HB Firing 3 6+ Pst 0, 6 7+ Pst 0, 11 8+ Pst 0, 5 rounds.
Class IV
Respectable Charm 0, Coercion +1, MC
£0 13s 4d, Police whistle 24.
PC Calfe
WA 0 Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3
Ag 0, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 Pistol Bst 2,
M. Revolver BSt 2
HB Firing 3 6+ Pst 0, 6 7+ Pst 0, 11 8+ Pst 0, 5 rounds.
Class IV
Respectable Charm 0, Coercion +1, MC
£0 13s 4d, Police whistle 24.
PC Power
WA 0 Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3
Ag 0, Mar 0, Th 0, Me +1 Pistol Bst 2,
M. Revolver BSt 2
HB Firing 3 6+ Pst 0, 6 7+ Pst 0, 11 8+ Pst 0, 5 rounds.
Class IV
Respectable Charm 0, Coercion +1, MC
£0 13s 4d, Police whistle 24.