Howard Wilson ( main picture ) joined Glasgow Police in 1958 and served in “A” or Central Division as it was also known. Disillusioned, he resigned in 1967 and opened a greengrocery business ‘The Orchard’, in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow but it got into financial difficulties. In July Wilson and two other men robbed a bank in Williamwood for £20,000 a few months earlier, along with a fourth man, getaway driver Archibald McGeachie. The subsequent whereabouts of McGeachie remain unknown and there is a rumour that he is buried in the pillars of the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow, this was after a shovel with wet concrete was found in Wilsons car boot, maybe McGeachie was against the Linwood robbery and finished off by Wilson.
It was on a cold morning of Tuesday 30th December 1969, Wilson along with two accomplices, raided the Clydesdale Bank in Linwood, Renfrewshire. Their haul was £14,212 in notes and silver coins.
About 4.30pm that day, Inspector Andrew Hyslop and Constable John Sellars were in a panda car emerging from the rear of the Southern Police Office into Allison Street. They were suspicious of Wilson and two men carrying suitcases and a metal box into 41 Allison Street. Inspector Hyslop returned to the Southern Police Office and got the assistance of Detective Constables John Campbell and Angus McKenzie, and P.C. Edward Barnett to search Wilsons flat.
During the search, Wilson pulled out a piston and shot Inspector Hyslop in the face and neck paralysing him. Wilson then shot and killed Detective Constable McKenzie and P.C. Barton. Meanwhile Constable Sellars, in the bathroom, was using his radio to call for help. Wilson then returned to Inspector Hyslop and was about to shoot him again when Detective Constable Campbell intervened. After a violent struggle, he man aged to get the gun from Wilson. He then held Wilson and one of his accomplices at bay until other officers arrived. The other man involved ran off, but was arrested at his home later that day.
The aftermath was devastating. MacKenzie died at the scene, while Barnett succumbed to his injuries days later. Hyslop survived but was left wheelchair-bound for life. The bravery of his colleagues, particularly Constable Campbell, prevented further loss of life, but the scars of that day would remain for decades.
Wilson pled guilty to the murders and robberies and was imprisoned for life.
Detective Constable McKenzie and P.C. Barnett were posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry. Inspector Hyslop and Detective Constable Campbell both received the George Medal for their gallantry. Awards of the Glasgow Corporation Bravery Medal were also made.
Howard Wilson, served 32 years in prison for the robbery, the murder of two officers and the attempted murder of a third; he was paroled in 2002. It was first time anyone had pleaded guilty to a double murder charge in Scotland – and one count of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Sim and Donaldson were jailed for 12 years each for their roles in the robbery; Sim had witnessed the shootings but taken no part and Donaldson had fled the scene.
Wilson, whose crime occurred two weeks after the death penalty was abolished, was released on parole in September 2002, aged 64, after serving nearly 33 years in prison. While incarcerated, he wrote a crime novel entitled Angels of Death which won a Kostler award. He lived with a relative upon release and stayed in Inverary but moved to Perth after a short period of time. He died in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, in 2023.
Paisley Photographs 