It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.

At sunrise there was a slight skiff of ice on some water in a bucket; […]

The young 'un will make his way, said Belcher, who had come across to us. "He's more a sparrer than a fighter just at present, but when his gristle sets he'll take on anything on the list.

The origins of the home help service can be traced back to the Sick Room Help Society based in the East End of London.