Who killed 'Dripping' Lewis?



Mrs Monty Dart, Writer & Researcher.



Yesterday, I went to listen to a talk in Pontypool Museum given by writer and researcher Monty Dart.  She is investigating the 1939 murder of Pontypool landlord William Alftred Lewis, after coming across the case at the National Archives. The talk was extremely interesting.

Fifty-nine-year-old Mr Lewis, also known as Dripping Lewis, was a wealthy landowner who owned  properties for rent in Pontpool. He was killed in his home 'Plasmont' in Pontypool, in May 1939. A builder and decorator, Mr. Thomas Brimble, who had been renovating Mr Lewis’ house discovered the body.

Mr Lewis had been a draper at Cwm, Ebbw Vale until 1931.  The morning of the discovery of the body, the local milkman told Mr Brimble that the milk he had left on Monday was still in the two jugs and had not been used or taken inside.  It was then that Mr Brimble went into the house to investigate. He found Mr Lewis’s body sprawled across his bed with a pillow over his face. He contacted the police at once. The story made headlines both locally and nationally.


Scotland Yard was duly informed and four of their officers came to investigate. They discovered that Mr Lewis had suffered several blows to the back of the head but could find no weapon nor any other clues. They later discovered that about £300 was missing from the house.

Mrs Dart said: “Nearly half of Pontypool was interviewed – if you weren’t interviewed then you would have known somebody who was. It was a very notorious crime. Technically the murderer could still be alive if he/she was very young at the time."

Mrs Dart is appealing for anyone who has information about Mr Lewis or the crime to get in touch. She hopes eventually to turn her research into a book. Anyone reading this blog with any knowledge of the 'Dripping Lewis' story could maybe help Mrs Dart with her research; you could contact me via the comments section, and Mrs. Dart will immediately be informed of your interest in the case.