A burst of gunfire in a London backstreet marked the beginning of the end for Ward and Profumo. Just when the events of 1961 seemed to be fading, Christine Keeler’s love life yet again spelled disaster. By the summer of 1962, the Profumo-Keeler-Ivanov story was beginning to seep out into society circles. July’s issue of Queen magazine made a vague reference to the rumours in a gossip column snippet – ‘called in MI5 because every time the chauffeur driven ZIS drew up at her front door, out of the back door into a chauffeur driven Humber slopped…’
An anonymous informer
In early November, an anonymous caller told George Wigg, a Labour MP who was known to dislike Profumo, to ‘forget the Vassall case [the Admiralty Spy]. You want to look at Profumo.’ Wigg took note. It was mid-December, though, by the time Profumo’s secret life began to come out into the open.
Among Christine Keeler’s lovers were two West Indian rivals for her attention, Aloysius ‘Lucky’ Gordon and Johnny Edgecombe. Gordon was jealously infatuated with Keeler. He had assaulted her in the street and had also, Keeler alleges held her hostage for two days with an axe. Keeler dropped charges she had brought for the latter incident in response to appeals from Gordon’s brother – he feared that Gordon would get a long sentence because of his criminal record for violence.
When Keeler at last rejected Gordon, she bought a revolver to protect herself from him. John Edgecombe was also enlisted by Keeler to act as her minder. On 27 October 1962, Edgecombe and Gordon met in a face-to-face confrontation at a Soho club. Edgecombe slit Gordon’s face with a knife inflicting a wound needing 17 stitches.
For the next few weeks Edgecombe went into hiding from the police, while Keeler, in fear for her life changed address to avoid Gordon. Edgecombe realised that he could not remain in hiding indefinitely and asked Keeler to help him find a solicitor before surrendering himself to the police. But Keeler, jealous of the fact that Edgecombe had taken another lover, made a decision that was to precipitate the exposure of the whole Profumo story. She told Edgecombe that she would not help him and that she planned to testify against him in court.
In the early afternoon of 14 December 1962, Edgecombe, wile with rage, showed up outside Ward’s Wimple Mews flat. Keeler, there visiting Mandy Rice-Davies, refused to let him in. Incensed, Edgecombe blasted the door with the revolver that had once belonged to Keeler. Neighbours hearing the startling commotion, raised the alarm, and Wimpole Mews was quickly swarming with police and journalists. Edgecombe, who managed to make off in a taxi, was later arrested at his Brentford flat. The press, excited by the action, had no idea of the story that was about to be unleashed.
The episode proved a catalyst. Keeler’s story of sexual and political intrigue poured forth to interested parties. Michael Eddowes, a solicitor friend of Ward, who later played a prominent part in its exposure and was responsible for alerting the Americans to security aspects of the affair, was on such person. Keeler also informed the former Labour MP, John Lewis, who, unknown to her, was an avowed enemy of Stephen Ward.
After hearing Keeler’s amazing testimony, Lewis believed that he was finally in a position to ruin Ward. It so happened that he was also a horse racing acquaintance of Profumo’s critic, Labour MP George Wigg.
West End shoot – out
In the early afternoon of 14 December 1962, Edgecombe, wile with rage, showed up outside Ward’s Wimple Mews flat. Keeler, there visiting Mandy Rice-Davies, refused to let him in. Incensed, Edgecombe blasted the door with the revolver that had once belonged to Keeler. Neighbours hearing the startling commotion, raised the alarm, and Wimpole Mews was quickly swarming with police and journalists. Edgecombe, who managed to make off in a taxi, was later arrested at his Brentford flat. The press, excited by the action, had no idea of the story that was about to be unleashed.