Adrian and Dawn L. Bridge – författare

Manchester in the century between 1850 and 1950 witnessed extraordinary growth and changes. In the mid-nineteenth century, Manchester was the world’s first industrialised city, home of the Industrial Revolution and known as ‘Cottonopolis’. It was a city of immigrants from the countryside, Ireland, Scotland and further afield, where slums and poverty existed in close proximity to great wealth. The unique conditions in the city made it a breeding ground for crimes of all kinds, from the ‘high crimes’ of murder and large-scale robberies, frauds and theft, to ‘low-level’ crimes such as pickpocketing, mugging and other street crimes. ‘Snoozer’ gangs robbed hotels in Victorian Manchester and the city was home to numerous jewel thieves over the years including ‘Lucky Edgar’. Some crimes were even politically motivated, such as the suffragette law breaking, while others such as youth crime, which is often portrayed as a recent phenomenon, actually has a long history stretching back to the teenage scuttler gangs of the late nineteenth century.This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Manchester in years gone by. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime, as well as those who want to know more about the history of Manchester.

On 8 February 1945, over 50,000 British and Canadian soldiers moved forward to attack German defensive positions centred on the vast Reichswald Forest, in what proved to be one of the last and bloodiest battles of the whole of the Second World War in Europe. The Reichswald (German Imperial Forest) on the Rhineland borders of the Netherlands and Germany became the location of an epic struggle that eventually sucked in over 200,000 British and Canadian service personnel.The campaign, sandwiched between better-known clashes such as 1944’s Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine in 1945, was brutal. The Allies suffered nearly 16,000 casualties, the Germans an estimated 44,000. Drawing on a wealth of sources from British, Canadian and European museums and archives, the authors provide a new and timely account – on the 80th anniversary – of this epic British and Canadian struggle against the Wehrmacht, fought out on the north-eastern borders of Germany during the dying days of the war in Europe.

In the century between 1850 and 1950 Bradford witnessed extraordinary growth and changes. Its wealth was based on the textile industry, and the city became known as the ‘wool capital of the world’. It was a city of migrants, many from Ireland, and despite the efforts of philanthropic industrialists such as Titus Salt, wealth and poverty often lived close to each other. The city was a breeding ground for crime and Bradford Borough Police Force was formed in the 1840s, dealing with both the ‘high crimes’ of murder, large-scale robberies and frauds and ‘low-level’ crimes such as petty theft, vagrancy and loitering. Delving into original sources, court reports and newspaper archives, the authors also look at the effects of illegal gambling before the 1960 Betting & Gaming Act and the involvement of young people and their punishments.This collection of true-life crime stories from the mid-nineteenth century the mid-twentieth century gives a vivid insight into life in Bradford in the past. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of Bradford.

Stoke-on-Trent in the century between 1850 and 1950 witnessed huge changes. During the Victorian period the population in the area grew rapidly, attracted by employment opportunities in the pottery industry, and in 1910 a new borough of Stoke-on-Trent was formed from a confederation of the Six Towns. Vast numbers of local people worked in coal mining, manufacturing and other heavy industries, as well as in ceramics, and wealth and poverty often lived close together.The local police force dealt with the ‘high crimes’ of murder, manslaughter, major robberies and frauds, sometimes with the assistance of Scotland Yard. ‘Low level’ crimes such as burglary and housebreaking also had to be tackled, as did ever-evolving criminal tactics and techniques. Delving into a range of court reports, newspaper archives and other original sources, the authors also assess the consequences of crime and its punishment, as well as cases where defendants were adjudged insane.This collection of true-life stories gives a vivid insight into aspects of life in Stoke-on-Trent during the past, and will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime, as well as those who want to know more about the history of the area.