At a time when rationing, shortages and the blitz meant feeding the family became ever more difficult it was all too easy for the increasingly blurred line of criminality to be crossed. She also delves into the murky world of Spivs, Gangs, prostitutes and Robbers. Heavily illustrated with both contemporary and modern photographs Penny takes you back to some of the most infamous wartime crimes such as the blackout ripper, the bath chair murderer and the last person to be prosecuted in Britain for witchcraft. Lonely and far from home, some rioted and many looked for other distractions with desertion being a significant problem and one which was often funded by crime. American and Canadian troops found themselves transported to Britain in preparation for D-Day. The military services had its share of crime and the influx of foreign troops added to the problem. Criminal activity wasn't just a civilian occupation. However, the reality was that criminals saw the war as an opportunity to exploit the emergency conditions and those with a previously unblemished reputation found themselves tempted off the straight and narrow. An intriguing insight into a unique episode in British history for any historian or reader Was There Crime in the Second World War? At a time of national emergency, the average person could be forgiven for thinking that crime rates would go down as everyone tried to help the war effort.Heavily illustrated throughout with contemporary and modern photographs.Foreword by Michael O'Bryne QPM, Chief Constable (Rtd), Bedfordshire Police.New England Historic Genealogical Society.ĭuring his exile after 1852, Juan Manuel de Rosas, the former governor of Buenos Aires, used to frequent the place. It has been claimed that the inn itself is haunted by a barmaid, described as being in her sixties and only visible above the knees, who reportedly drifts through the bar area. A mournful procession of ghosts reportedly sighted leaving from the inn has been linked to the plotters.

In any case, the plotters were imprisoned in the castle and it is unlikely that they were moved down the High Street for a trial in an inn when the castle afforded ample facilities. The trial took place in 1415, about 75 years before the foundation of this building, and there is no documentary evidence from 1415 that would locate it here. The half-timbered room known as the court room was the site of the trial of the conspirators in the Southampton Plot.

It is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. The Red Lion Inn is a Grade II* listed pub, built in the late 15th/early 16th century, at 55 High Street, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 2NS. Location of Red Lion Inn, Southampton in Southampton

Bloody British History by Penny Legg