On this day in history : 14th August 1979 – A freak storm hits the Fastnet Race…. A total of 19 lives are lost, 15 of which are crew and 4 of those involved in the rescue operation….
Memorial to those who died in the 1979 Fastnet Race, Cape Clear Island, Cork, Ireland – Image credit : Fanny Schertzer – own work – CC BY-SA 3.0
303 yachts with some 2,000 crew had set off on the 605 mile race from Cowes on the Isle of Wight in fine weather on the 11th of August…. Their route was to take them along the south coast of England, across the Irish Sea and then to finish in Plymouth….
Only 85 out of the 303 boats reached the finishing line…. Tragedy was to strike in the Irish Sea; a violent storm with Force 10 winds and 50ft waves, lasting over a period of 20 hours, sank, capsized and turned over yachts…. 24 boats were abandoned and at least 75 either capsized or sank….
The rescue operation began at 6.30am on the 14th of August, once the gales had dropped to Force 9…. Emergency services, naval forces and civilian vessels, manned by some 4,000 people, took part – it was to be the biggest rescue operation during peace time….
The disaster resulted in a major rethink of yacht racing – as to its risks and the prevention of future catastrophes….
On this day in history : 13th August 1964 – The last two criminals to face the death penalty in Britain are simultaneously hanged for the murder of a laundry van driver In Cumberland….
Evans (left) : Allen (right) – Fair use
24 year old Gwynne Evans dropped to his death at the hands of hangman Harry Allen in Strangeways Prison, Manchester – whilst at exactly the precise same time 21 year old Peter Allen was hanged in Walton Jail, Liverpool by Robert Leslie Stewart….
The pair had been convicted of killing 53 year old John Alan West at his home in Seaton, Cumberland…. John West, known as ‘Jack’, was a bachelor and had worked for the Lakeland Laundry at Workington for 34 years…. He had returned home after an ordinary days work and gone about his usual evening routine…. But then, at 3am, a neighbour was woken by noises coming from West’s house…. On looking out of the window he saw a car disappearing – and he called the police…. West was found dead, with severe head injuries and a stab wound to the chest….
A search of the property revealed a raincoat which had been left behind by Evans…. In one of the pockets was a medal, along with the name and address of a Norma O’Brian in Liverpool…. The police contacted her and she confirmed that she knew Evans and that the medal belonged to him….
Evans was traced through his criminal and army records to the home of his parents – and from there they were able to find Allen…. Within 36 hours both men had been arrested – on being questioned Allen initially claimed that he had been at home with his wife on the night of the murder – however, it soon came to be that both men were blaming each other for striking the fatal blows…. Both were found guilty of murder at trial….
By now public opinion had turned against capital punishment – despite this calls for a reprieve failed…. Theirs were, however, to be the last executions in Britain….
On this day in history : 12th August 1964 – A massive manhunt gets under way after Great Train Robber Charlie Wilson escapes from Winson Green Prison in Birmingham….
Fair use
32 year old Wilson had been the gang’s treasurer; it had been his job to divide up the £2.6m haul between the gang members, with each receiving £150k…. Wilson was quickly captured after the robbery – and at his trial he became known as ‘the silent man’ due to his refusal to speak…. He was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment….
Just four months into his sentence, on the 12th of August 1964, three men broke into the prison during the early hours and freed him…. They had stolen a ladder from a nearby builders’ yard, which they used to gain access into the grounds of a psychiatric hospital next door to the prison…. From there they were able to use a rope ladder to scale the 20ft prison wall…. Once inside they coshed a guard and tied him up before opening Wilson’s cell door…. It remains a mystery as to how they got the key, as there was only one designated key holder on site – and it was not the guard that they had attacked….
Via Pinterest
Wilson was on the run for three and a half years…. He was eventually recaptured in Canada on the 24th of January 1968 – after his wife had called her parents in England, only for the call to be traced…. Wilson was returned to England to finish his sentence…. He was released in 1978….
He emigrated to Marbella, Spain and became suspected of being involved with a drug smuggling ring…. Wilson was alledged to have lost some of the ring’s money through bad investments – and on the 23rd of April 1990, whilst relaxing beside his swimming pool, he was shot dead by a hitman….
On this day in history : 11th August 1984 – South African-born British athlete Zola Budd is the centre of controversy after an accident involving Mary Decker in the 1984 Olympics 300m final….
Zola Budd
It was during the race that Budd tangled with the American resulting in a trip that put Decker out of the race…. The mainly American crowd reacted with hostility which unnerved 18 year old Budd, who could only manage to finish in seventh place – the gold medal being taken by Romanian Maricia Puica….
Because of its apartheid policy South Africa had been banned from the Games…. Budd was already in the spotlight as the UK government had fast-tracked her application to become a British citizen to allow her to compete in the Olympics for Britain – thus sparking outrage among anti-apartheid campaigners….
Budd was renowned for running barefoot…. The accident with Decker was viewed from every angle on the available film footage to determine what had happened and who was to blame…. At the half way mark Budd and Decker had twice bumped together…. Decker’s running spikes caught Budd’s heel and her leg shot out as she stumbled, which consequently tripped Decker over…. Budd carried on as Decker fell and the crowd jeered and booed….
Zola Budd, Mary Decker and Maricica Puica
After the race Decker accused Budd of trying to cut in without being far enough ahead…. Budd was disqualified – but after officials had viewed the film footage she was reinstated – the incident remained hotly debated….
Budd continued to compete for Great Britain for four more years and broke several British and world records – but she could never shake off the political controversy…. She returned to South Africa in 1988 and now runs for pleasure near to her home in Bloemfontein….
On this day in history : 10th August 1949 – The execution of serial killer John George Haigh – otherwise known as the ‘Acid Bath Murderer’….
John Haigh – Police photograph taken at Horsham Police Station, 1949 – Public domain
Haigh was born into an affluent family in Stamford, Lincolnshire and he was brought up in the village of Oakwood, in the West Riding of Yorkshire…. His parents were members of the Plymouth Brethren, a conservative, non-conformist, evangelical Christian movement….
Academically bright Haigh won several educational scholarships and was fond of classical music…. He often attended concerts and he himself was a talented pianist…. He won a scholarship to Wakefield Cathedral where he became a choirboy…. However, by the time he was 21 things began to manifest as signs of what was to come…. He was dismissed from his job after being accused of stealing from the petty cash box – then in July 1934 he got married….but in the same year was jailed for fraud…. His new wife left him and had their baby daughter adopted; his parents disowned him….
On release from prison in 1936 Haigh moved to London and found employment as a chauffeur to wealthy amusement arcade owner William McSwan…. At the same time he continued to live his fraudulent life, masquerading as William Cato Adamson, a solicitor with offices in London, Guildford and Hastings…. He ‘specialised’ in selling phoney stocks and shares…. However, as academically bright as he may have been, spelling was obviously his Achilles heel…. His scam was uncovered after a schoolboy error was noticed on his ‘official’ solicitor’s letterhead – he had missed the ‘d’ out of Guildford…. He was sentenced to a further four years in prison….
He was released at the beginning of World War Two and immediately resumed his life as a career fraudster – resulting in several more prison sentences…. The problem was that his victims kept reporting him – it eventually dawned on him that they couldn’t if they were dead! He spent the remainder of his latest prison sentence devising the perfect way of getting rid of them….
Haigh became fascinated with the methods used by French murderer Georges-Alexandre Sarret – who dissolved bodies by using sulphuric acid…. Haigh started to experiment using various types of acid on mice…. He discovered it took 30 minutes to dissolve a field mouse – he began to calculate how long it would take and how much acid he would need to dissolve a full grown man….
After being released from prison he took a job in the accounting department of an engineering company…. Then one day he happened to bump into his former employer, William McSwan – who had now become a landlord with tenants in multiple properties, owned by his parents…. He had an extremely lavish lifestyle and Haigh was insanely jealous….
A few months later he arranged to meet McSwan and then lured him to the basement of a warehouse he had rented…. He hit McSwan over the head – and then after putting his body into a 40-gallon drum poured sulphuric acid over him…. When he returned two days later he found the body had turned to a sludge – and so he tipped it down a convenient manhole….
Haigh told McSwan’s parents that their son had gone into hiding to avoid being called up for military service…. He then took over the collecting of rents from the tenants…. When McSwan’s parents became suspicious when their son failed to return at the end of the War Haigh was to lure them to his warehouse basement, where they too met the same fate…. Haigh then sold their possessions for around £8,000 by forging their signatures and moved into Onslow Court Hotel in Kensington…. He kept their car and dog though!
Haigh developed an acute gambling habit and so the money did not last long…. He began to look for his next victims…. He also decided he needed bigger premises, where he could store more drums of acid – and so he rented a larger warehouse on Leopold Road, Crawley, West Sussex….
He then went to view the house of Dr Archibald Henderson and his wife Rose, which was on the property market…. He made up some pretext to get the doctor to visit his warehouse and once there, shot him in the head…. Receiving a call from Haigh to say that her husband was unwell Rose rushed to Leopold Road – where she too was shot…. The bodies of the husband and wife were then dissolved in acid….
Haigh was still living at Onslow Court Hotel and was befriended by a wealthy fellow resident, 69 year old widow Olive Durand – who fancied herself as a bit of an entrepreneurial inventor…. On hearing that Haigh worked for an engineering company she sought his advice on an idea she had for artificial fingernails…. On the 18th of February 1949, feigning interest and a desire to help her, Haigh took her to his warehouse – and murdered her….
Now, Haigh had overlooked one important factor when he rented his new warehouse – it had no convenient manhole…. He had to resort to dumping the sludge from his acid drums on a pile of rubble at the back of the building….
It did not take long for this to be discovered…. 28lbs of body fat, part of a foot and gall stones were found, along with a piece of denture, which was identified as belonging to Olive by her dentist…. Haigh was arrested and taken to Horsham Police Station; he confessed to the six murders – and to three more…. He claimed to have also killed a girl from Eastbourne, a woman from Hammersmith and a man called Max – although no evidence could be found….
Peel House, the former Sussex Police Headquarters at Horsham – where Haigh was held
At his trial Haigh pleaded insanity – even saying that he drank the blood of his victims…. His claim was dismissed…. It took the jury just minutes to find him guilty…. Mr Justice Travers Humphreys passed the death sentence and he was taken to the condemned cell at Wandsworth Prison…. Haigh was hanged by Albert Pierrepoint on the 10th of August 1949….
Haigh in custody – Image credit : Mitch Hell via Flickr
