Britain's Most Prolific Burglar: Flannelfoot and the Scotland Yard Men Who Hunted Him
Apr 2024 · Pen and Sword History
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About this ebook
Harry Edward Vickers, aka Flannelfoot, was possibly Britains most successful ever burglar. Not financially - he stole cash and low-value items (even, bizarrely, false teeth!). The success was in his hundreds of burglaries spread over many years without being caught. The lives of career criminals are invariably dotted with prison sentences, but thanks to his caution and cunning, Flannelfoot operated night after night, year after year with an impunity which embarrassed the police. In the twenties and thirties, Londers were deserting the overcrowded capital for the burgeoning suburbs of Metroland. Flannelfoot was equally attracted to these areas, and one of his hallmarks was to steal a bicycle at the scene of his last break-in of the night and cycle to the nearest tube station. Burglars and burglaries are never glamorous, but one reason why the Flannelfoot saga engendered fascination more than fear is that he was never confrontational, never violent, and in fact so stealthy that few ever saw him. His one-man crime epidemic led to Scotland Yard assembling a team more used to solving murders than the plundering of gas meters. After a lengthy and painstaking investigation, a carefully planned night-time surveillance operation involving several teams of officers led to the sensational capture of Flannelfoot. Flannelfoot routinely features in crime anthologies and was the subject of a feature film, but this is the first full biography of the man who became a legend in his own lifetime.
Harry Edward Vickers, aka Flannelfoot, was possibly Britains most successful ever burglar. Not financially - he stole cash and low-value items (even, bizarrely, false teeth!). The success was in his hundreds of burglaries spread over many years without being caught. The lives of career criminals...
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About the author
History is Martyn Beardsley's big passion, and he has written books on a variety of subjects. He got the idea for (King Charles) while enjoying a pint (or two) in the George Inn Mere, Wiltshire, which sheltered Charles while on the run, and which has a King Charles room. His other non-fiction works include 'The Gunpowder Plot Deceit' and 'A Matter of Honour', an account of Britain's last fatal duel. He was born in Nottingham, where he still lives with a half-deaf and fully mad dog called Max.
History is Martyn Beardsley's big passion, and he has written books on a variety of subjects. He got the idea for (King Charles) while enjoying a pint (or two) in the George Inn Mere, Wiltshire, which sheltered Charles while on the run, and which has a King Charles room. His other non-fiction wor...
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