Search results for ""author ben beazley""

In the thirty years following the end of the Second World War Leicester underwent some of the most dramatic changes in its history. Along with the rest of Britain it saw the austerity of the late 1940s and '50s, the shortages and rationing, followed by the boom period of the '60s, when full employment brought an interlude of prosperity. During these postwar decades sweeping changes were made to the physical structure of Leicester: areas of bomb damage and slum housing were cleared from the old city centre, and an intensive building programme in both the public and private sectors resulted in people moving out to new housing estates on the edges of the city. Ben Beazley vividly describes the story of everyday life in Leicester during this period. Illustrated with more than 120 photographs, maps and plans, Postwar Leicester will capture the imagination of anyone who knows the city today, and will rekindle memories for those who lived through the years of redevelopment and change.

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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 seventy-year-old widow by two young men, to the failure to convict Archie Johnson of the murder of Annie Jennings in 1912 due to the inability to identify blood groups at that time, this is a collection of the most dramatic and interesting criminal cases that have taken place in Leicester between the mid-1800s and 1950s. Ben Beazley was a policeman for almost thirty years. His experience and understanding of the criminal justice system give authority to his unbiased assessment and analysis of the cases in this book. His carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shadier side of Leicester's history.

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This work tells the story of the war years in Leicester. It describes the meticulous planning of such men as Charles Keene, chairman of the Emergency Committee, and of the air raids that demolished many parts of the city - claiming 122 victims and injuring almost 300 more.

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