On this day in history : 16th August 1952 – One of the worst flash floods ever to occur in Britain sweeps its way through the North Devon village of Lynmouth….
Lynmouth, Devon
Torrential rainfall deposited 9 inches of rain on already saturated soil…. Over 100 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged – as were 28 bridges…. 38 cars were washed out to sea and 420 people lost their homes – but even more tragically – 34 lost their lives….
Following the flood controversy arose as to whether it had been caused by secret cloud seeding which had been carried out by the RAF between 1949 and 1952…. Cloud seeding is a method of weather modification aimed at altering the type of precipitation falling from clouds….
A 2001 BBC radio documentary fuelled speculation that the flood was linked to Project Cumulus – as the disaster happened just days after the RAF had been performing rain making experiments over Southern England…. However meteorologists deny this could have caused the flooding….
On this day in history : 15th August 1941 – The execution by firing squad, at the Tower of London, of Corporal Josef Jakobs…. It is to be the last ever execution at the Tower….
The Miniature Firing Range, Tower of London – ‘The Shed of Death’ – Photograph from the collections of the Imperial War Museums
Jakobs, born in Luxembourg in 1898, was a German spy – who during World War Two worked for the Abwehr, the German Army’s intelligence department….
On the 31st of January he was flown into Ramsay, Huntingdonshire from Schipol Airport, Holland…. He parachuted from the aircraft and landed in a field but broke his ankle in the process…. The following morning, to get the attention of two farmers, Charles Baldock and Harry Coulson, who were working nearby, he fired his pistol into the air….
The Home Guard were notified and Jakobs, still wearing his flying suit, was arrested…. He was carrying £500 in British currency, a radio transmitter, forged identity papers – and a German sausage! He also carried a photograph of German singer and actress Clara Bauerle, who was his lover and also a spy…. She was already in England and the idea was for him to join her….
Josef Jakobs – Fair use
Jakobs was transferred to Cannon Row Police Station in London, where he gave a voluntary statement to MI5…. He was then taken to Brixton Prison Infirmary where his ankle was treated before being held at Dulwich Hospital for the next two months….
His court martial took place on the 4th and 5th of August 1941 at the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea…. The British had been aware that he was coming to England as they had been informed by a double agent, Welsh Nationalist Arthur Owens…. Jakobs was found guilty and sentenced to death….
The execution took place ten days later at the miniature rifle range at the Tower of London…. Jakobs was tied blindfolded to a Windsor chair…. Eight soldiers of the Holding Battalion Scots Guards took aim with their 303 Lee-Enfields at a white cotton target pinned above his heart…. At 7.12am a silent signal was given by Lieutenant-Colonel C.R. Gerard…. Jakobs died instantly; five bullets hit him, three of the soldiers had been issued with blanks…. Jakobs was buried in an unmarked grave in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green, London….
The Windsor chair on which Jakobs was executed – Image credit : Hu Nhu – own work – CC BY-SA 4.0
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 : 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
Cottage Capers 