In a peculiar crime scene reminiscent of a TV detective drama, the discovery of a Welshman shot dead inside a locked bank unfolded into a real-life mystery a century ago. The victim, 29-year-old Swansea bank manager William Hall, a former Royal Navy serviceman from Brynmill, was found behind the counter with fatal wounds, surrounded by cash. Described as popular and jovial, Hall’s murder captured national attention, earning the moniker “locked bank murder mystery.” Hall’s assailant, it seemed, had intimate knowledge of his routine and the bank’s operations, pointing the investigation toward the nearby Bordon Army camp.
As detectives pieced together the crime, their focus shifted to Lance Corporal Abraham ‘Jack’ Goldenberg, also from Swansea, stationed at the camp. Goldenberg’s conflicting accounts of his actions on the day of the murder, coupled with incriminating evidence found at the scene and his subsequent erratic behaviour, led to his arrest. Initially confessing to the crime under interrogation, Goldenberg later attempted to shift blame to an unknown man named Meredith, before ultimately admitting guilt and providing a detailed account of the robbery-turned-tragedy.
The subsequent trial at Winchester Assizes saw Goldenberg’s defence of insanity challenged by evidence of his premeditation and strategic execution of the crime. Despite efforts to cast doubt on his mental state, Goldenberg was convicted of murder after a brief jury deliberation and sentenced to death. The case took a bizarre turn with an anonymous letter claiming responsibility for the shooting, but Goldenberg’s conviction stood. The tragic tale of William Hall’s untimely demise and Abraham Goldenberg’s descent into criminality ultimately unfolded in a courtroom, ending with a sombre verdict that resonated far beyond the confines of a locked bank in Hampshire.