Ben Beazley Boeken

Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most notorious murders in Leicester's history. From the brutal murder of John Paas in 1832—whose killer became the last man in England to be gibbeted—and the poisoning of a 70-year-old widow by two young men, to the fatal shooting of a young woman in 1919—a case which was known as the “green bicycle murder” and was to become one of the most fascinating murder cases in legal history—this is a collection of the most dramatic and interesting criminal cases that have taken place in Leicester between the mid-1800s and the 1950s. This carefully researched, well-illustrated, and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shadier side of Leicester's history.

This book examines the issues large and small surrounding the town during the war years. It tells of food and fuel shortages, the raising and training of local units and a myriad of other events during the greatest social upheaval of the 20th century' WITH the outbreak of war in August 1914 life in Leicester was to change irrevocably. The huge demands to provide men to fight on the Western Front, combined with the need for an increased industrial output, led to great conflicts of interest. An energetic anti-war campaign mounted by one of the Borough’s two Members of Parliament, Ramsay MacDonald, led to serious criticism, both during and after the war, of Leicester’s commitment to the war effort. It tells the story of food and fuel shortages, the raising and training of local units to send to the Front, of the town being cut off in violent snow storms along with a myriad of other happenings during the greatest social upheaval of the 20th century. This fascinating story takes the reader on a unique journey beginning in 1914 with the initial call to arms for the men of Leicester to join the Colours, through to the pageantry of the town being granted city status in 1919.