Talk:Gordon Cummins

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Reverts[edit]

DreamGuy, why do you undo everything i do on The Blackout Ripper ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.1.207.130 (talk) 15:34, 29 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Because it doesn't meet basic acceptability standards. You changed him from a spree killer to a serial killer, and those are different terms. You added nicknames to multiple places without capitalization or punctuation. You added info without giving a reliable source for it. DreamGuy (talk) 15:39, 29 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No i read a book on him with resorses for the nicknames and every time you hear about him he is called a serial killer so do some research —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.1.207.130 (talk) 15:43, 29 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you can't be bothered to write with proper capitalization and punctuation or provide reliable sources to back up what you claim you can't expect your edits to stay on the article. And proper research shows that someone killing multiple times over the space of only a few days is a spree killer, not a serial killer. I see you signed up with an account now, and you immediately reverted again with it, which means you should have been blocked for violating the 3RR, which I already warned you about. I'm contacting others to come look at this article, and if you continue to revert you will be blocked. DreamGuy (talk) 02:04, 31 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Third opinion: I don't really think a 3O is needed here, but here it is anyway. Albsol88t/anon IP, your edits have been reverted because your edits are disruptive. It is not necessary to repeatedly state that he was known by other names. You also removed information from the article that should have been there, since it was sourced. At this point, you're just being disruptive. — HelloAnnyong ^{(say whaaat?!)} 02:14, 31 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The article needs rewriting[edit]

I've just finished looking at the article and the text seems to be a straight copy from the account given at British Military & Criminal History in the period 1900 to 1999. Another source worth looking at is Colin Evans '"The Father of Forensics: How Sir Bernard Spilsbury Invented Modern CSI"' which has a brief account of the case and includes the significant detail that the last two people killed (Margaret Lowe/Doris Jouannet) were killed on the same night.Graham1973 (talk) 21:50, 6 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Being addressed.--Kieronoldham (talk) 00:50, 3 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Gordon Honeycombe book[edit]

There's also a 2011 edition of Honeycombe's book Murder of the Black Museum - The Dark Secrets Behind A Hundred Years of the Most Notorious Crimes in England, published by Kings Road Publishing, available online here. Maybe that one should be used? Martinevans123 (talk) 20:19, 26 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I have a 1992 reprint of Honeycombe's book, used in the references. Maybe there will be some additional info. in this book too.--Kieronoldham (talk) 21:04, 26 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, well if you have a copy maybe we should stick to that one, so that page numbers match? It's easier for other editors to check if the source is available online, but often online versions have sections blanked and/or no page numbers at all. It's sometimes odd think of Gordon Honeycombe as a true-crime writer, as he was a very well-known TV newsreader here in the UK. Martinevans123 (talk) 21:10, 26 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Martinevans123. I have had that book since I was a teenager; it does mention he was an ITN newscaster between 1965 and 1977 and that he wrote other books about topics like the 1981 Royal Wedding. I always prefer to physically own a copy of the sources I use.--Kieronoldham (talk) 21:39, 26 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Serial killer[edit]

Serial killer says: "A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, usually in service of abnormal psychological gratification, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them.". But at least three of the sources here describe him as a "serial killer" and he also has Category:English serial killers. Should he instead be described as a spree killer? Martinevans123 (talk) 15:27, 14 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Since it's a slightly grey area, I don't see what's wrong with calling him simply a murderer. Category could be "spree killer", as "serial killer" doesn't quite fit, but I prefer "murderer" to "spree killer" as the basic description. Dubmill (talk) 15:40, 14 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Just for reference, Spree killer says: A spree killer is someone who kills two or more victims in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders". So not a perfect fit. And perhaps more of an American term anyway. Maybe we should dispense with both Serial and Spree Categories. Martinevans123 (talk) 16:03, 14 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Some sources (of the literally hundreds I have) state an individual classified as a serial killer take three or more lives over a "period of time". Definitions vary. Cummins is suspected of committing his first murder(s) in October 1941. (He very likely murdered Maple Church.) There were also periods of time between his February 1942 murders when he reverted away from this "focus" back to his military/family/social life. Not like he was hiding in a cabin waiting for the next gun or knife target. Section II. Definition of Serial Murder of this page clarifies the ideal definition to me. He should be classified as a serial murderer.--Kieronoldham (talk) 16:31, 14 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Reverts[edit]

@Kieronoldham: What was the point of reverting all of my edits yesterday? If you are going to mass revert edits, please explain why in the edit summary! Most of my edits were what I assumed would be completely uncontroversial copyediting – I can see no possible reason to prefer e.g. "Cummins did obtain a diploma in chemistry" to "Cummins obtained a diploma in chemistry", or to believe that "by this time" is anything other than entirely redundant in the phrase "having by this time accrued over 1,000 hours of flight experience". Furthermore, your revert reinstated falsehoods that I corrected – if you are going to revert without explanation, at least try to avoid reinstating incorrect claims where the edit summary clearly explained the issue. Caeciliusinhorto-public (talk) 09:31, 26 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

@Caeciliusinhorto:. It was an error on my part. I just wanted to compare the revisions - that's all. I accidentally published the previous version. That is why I reinserted many of your edits (apart from the one where you stated the quote was incorrect it is in the Blackout Murders book and structural errors like "His describe his academic performance at Llandovery County Intermediate Secondary School was unremarkable") shortly thereafter. No worries.--Kieronoldham (talk) 21:29, 26 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I should add you need to accrue a certain amount of flight experience before you take an aviation exam? I am sure I read that somewhere.--Kieronoldham (talk) 21:32, 26 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Leta Ward[edit]

According to an original source from 1942 which is cited, the pseudonym is Nita Ward not Leta Ward. JMFanClub1968 (talk) 18:12, 24 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

According to a few sources (including an American contemporary newspaper), she was known as Nita Ward; other sources by probing authors state she was known as Lita.--Kieronoldham (talk) 18:35, 24 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]