The body of 19-year-old Mary Williams was discovered on the sands of Swansea beach near the West Pier on the evening of February 21, 1920. A large silk handkerchief was wrapped around her neck, and her clothing was somewhat dishevelled, but there were no clear indications of a struggle or violent assault. She remained warm to the touch, suggesting death had occurred only moments earlier. At approximately the same time her body was being found, the killer was admitting to a police officer in Wind Street what he had just done, though he would subsequently enter a not guilty plea to murder and mount a defence based on insanity.
The Discovery and Confession
Robert Florance, a lampman employed by the Swansea harbour trust, discovered the body while crossing the sand dunes near the West Pier en route to the nearby fever hospital. At approximately 10:30pm, he spotted a 'dark object lying in a depression in the sands' and upon shining his light discovered it was the body of a young woman. Her right leg was bent upwards, her face was ashen, and wrapped around her neck was a large handkerchief of silk or chiffon with a 'fancy border'. There seemed to be no indication of a struggle. Florance left the body undisturbed and went to fetch assistance.
Around the same time, a 20-year-old sailor named Charles Millett approached a police officer on duty near the railway bridge which spanned the bottom of Wind Street. According to the constable, Millett told him: 'I want you to come with me as I have murdered a girl in the sands... She asked me to strangle her and I done it.' The sailor informed the officer his victim had given him a 'disease'. The men hurried to the beach and located the body, with Millett reportedly saying: 'Poor little girl. She died without struggle.'
The Victim and the Accused
Mary Williams hailed from Ystalyfera in the Swansea Valley, the daughter of a collier and a former pupil of Wern School. During the First World War, she served for a period with the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and, in the tradition of Welsh nicknames, was known to some as 'Mary the Waac'. One friend described her as: 'A sort of farm girl. Nice and quiet. Everyone like her.' Neighbours of the family portrayed her as 'a winsome character and very popular'. It was alleged that she had been living a 'questionable' lifestyle and spending considerable time around the town's bustling docks.
Millett – described as 'a thin-faced gentle-looking youth' – was a native of Falmouth in Cornwall, and local reports noted he was 'a favourite of the inhabitants' of the town. At the age of 16, he enlisted in the Royal Navy and served aboard a minesweeper in the Mediterranean during the war, where 'he had a most exciting experience with Germany submarines'. Following his demobilisation, he spent several months at home before securing employment on an American vessel called the Capines as a messroom steward. On February 17, 1920, the Capines sailed into Swansea to take on coal, and Millett was discharged from the crew. He got in touch with a cousin residing in Swansea and was offered a place to stay but reportedly indicated he intended to seek work on another vessel.
The Brief Relationship
The precise circumstances of how or where Millett and Miss Williams encountered one another on February 18 remain unknown, but they apparently spent the subsequent four days and nights together. They were observed sharing meals at Franklyn's Tea Shop in High Street, and the young sailor reportedly purchased gifts for Miss Williams, including boots and a blouse. It was later noted they spent their nights 'in very curious surroundings', including sleeping on one occasion in the rear of a cab stationed in a cab yard 'where there were also a couple of hearses and funeral carriages', as well as bedding down in a field on Kilvey Hill.
Whatever the character of their brief relationship, it concluded tragically on Saturday, February 21. That evening, there appeared to be a dispute between the pair at the roller skating rink in Oxford Street. Miss Williams was reportedly seen 'dancing with an American' and 'carrying on with a Frenchman', and Millett was observed crying at one point. Witnesses would subsequently state they heard the sailor describing Miss Williams as a 'devil' and declaring she had ruined his life and he was going to 'do her in' – though they later acknowledged that with the din of the music and the skates on the wooden rink, they could not be entirely certain of what precisely was said.
The Murder and Aftermath
At some point that evening, Millett departed the rink and made his way towards the sand dunes beyond South Dock – what is now the location of the apartments at Swansea Marina – with Miss Williams following close behind. According to Millett, he informed the woman she had 'ruined' him and he intended to 'do himself in', to which she responded that if he was going to do that, 'you had better do for me first'. He claimed she instructed him to strangle her, then kiss her, and tie a handkerchief around her neck.
Upon the young sailor's arrest, police discovered several picture postcards in his pocket which he had written but never dispatched. Among them were cards addressed to his mother, sister, and aunt in Falmouth, in which he described himself as 'disgraced' and told them: 'I shall be no more after tonight.' He had also written to his 'sweetheart' in Worcester, stating: 'My very own beloved Jess. Just a few lines letting you know that we can never be married owing to my being damaged goods. Charlie.'
Trial and Sentencing
Millett faced a murder charge but entered a not guilty plea on grounds of insanity. During his trial at the Glamorgan Assizes – the forerunner of the modern crown court – in July 1920, jurors heard medical evidence from doctors for both the prosecution and defence, who told them anyone who planned to take their own lives was by definition insane. Sir Edward Marlay Samson KC, barrister for Millett, told the jury there was no motive for the killing other than 'the dread of that scourge of mankind, venereal disease and its unknown possibilities, unhinged his mind completely and totally'. He said there were no signs of violence at the scene of the death and Miss Williams 'could not have been strangled in this way without a struggle had she not desired him to take her life'.
Following an hour and 45 minutes of deliberation, the jury delivered a guilty verdict for murder, though the foreman stated: 'We very strongly recommend him to mercy owing to the extenuating circumstances of the case.' Millett received a death sentence, which was later reduced to imprisonment. In 1924, a brief single-paragraph report appeared in the Western Mail noting 'letters have been received at Swansea' from Millett, who was 'suffering a long term of imprisonment' at Parkhurst Prison, where he was 'making good progress in boot and shoe-making and repairing'.
