In the 60s, I was a shipwright apprentice at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth. It was a large Dockyard, and several hundred apprentices were serving their 5-year apprenticeship during any 1 year. The Dockyard employed 26,000 men in total. Our initial training commenced in a building called "The Old Ropery." This was a building some quarter of a mile in length where ropes were made many years ago for Large Naval warships. Most of the buildings were Napoleonic and made of blocks of granite. Anyway, several of us apprentices were exploring adjacent buildings and discovered an execution chamber! No rope but trap doors with a huge metal ring above, where a rope would have been attached. Boys being boys, we got some rope and set the gallows up. One day we grabbed hold of a GPO messenger boy who was having trouble starting his motorcycle. We decided to "Hang him". We tied the rope around his boots and hauled him up. We had him upside down with his feet in the air and his shoulders resting on the trap doors. My buddy pulled the lever, and down the messenger went. Suddenly, the rope sprang back up. His boots were still in the noose, but the messenger was not in them!! They had slipped off, and he went crashing down into the pit! We all ran away. I never did find out what happened to the messenger boy!!!!
Interesting and ironic to have Executioner Albert Pierrepoint’s own death mask on display! Very fine detail regarding the English Noose! I can see that it was probably made of four-strand rope, inlaid into two pairs, centered upon the round brass thimble, turned back, and laid up anew. Smoothed and lubricated leather appears to have been sewn round the “working end” in the way of sailing ships and animal lariats for wear protection and ease of sliding. This is indeed different from the “American Noose” or “Hangman’s Knot” of seven or so turns (the number varying somewhat…) in three-strand laid rope. As both a lifelong…student of all things knotted, and opponent of the death penalty…I was mildly aware of the noose and rope differences. Here can be seen in great detail much nuance with which to ponder the process and practice of prior judicial executions in the British Empire. As the USA continues to execute our prisoners, albeit very rarely via ropes and drops, we may consider yet what we do to ourselves when we do unto others; this both as violent offenders and vengeful officials and the varied others known as society. Thoughts I just dropped by to let hang awhile, perhaps with a sharp crack, perhaps with a prolonged croak for air . . .
I was shit parcel red band at Wandsworth 1987 D wing. The only prison at that time to have a fully functioning and ready to use gallows! In ‘87 part of it was used to store dog (security K9) food etc at the end of E wing. (Decommissioned and dismantled in 1992). As shit parcel orderly I often had to pick up a barrow full of dog food and take it to the hang room ffs! Very surreal place, space… a place where people were deliberately killed. I’ve never forgotten it. Been in Pentonvilles hang room, Wormwood Scrubs and Bedford. Just saying…
The John Kelly show 🤣🤣🤣 4 year old video with only 415 views 😂😂😂 do your self a favour and take down your pathetic channel and stop embarrassing yourself you silly cunt
Very good documentary. It's a shame they don't still do that, would be a good fate for a few I can think of; for example David Curran, Jozef Puska, Paul Barry, Boy A and Boy B to name a few. Nothing better for them than a long drop and a sudden stop. Don't get me wrong, in terms of technology, prosperity and rights for Women, LGBT etc now is the best time ever, but in this one regard, the old ways really were the best.
I can't say I agree, I'm a believer in rehabilitation even if that doesn't come with full freedoms for convicted. Execution carries an onus of certainty of guilt which isn't always so certain. As has been commented below, Harry Gleason was posthumously pardoned. Equally, when we talk of the human mind, it's worth remembering that behaviour and even brain tissue is malleable and subject to change. If we can get that bit right, the mal-practices that create murderers could be redirected and better used. But will that ever be achieved? Hard to say.
After WW2 many German officers and high officials were hanged and the short drop was often used so they would suffer. When Timothy McVeigh was executed the first drug that would cause unconsciousness was withheld so he would suffer asphyxiation from the second paralitic drug.
The interesting thing was Harry Gleason mentioned in the piece was posthumously pardoned by President Higgins one of two he has pardoned since taking office I understand Harry Gleason was innocent and should never have stood trial, an underline dispute over land inheritance was going on...
Growing up in London in the 1960s the last executions took place in August 1964 and a change of government put a 5 year moratorium on it until it was abolished in 1969. During the latter part of the 1960s my dad who worked in Whitechapel and had a truck went to a firm in Bermondsey to buy some ropes and he told us this company produced hangman ropes, he described them and said they were exported and no doubt the home office either still bought them or had a large supply as the last working gallows was dismantled at Wandsworth Prison in 1992 and they tested it's operation every 6 months. Recently I was curious about the company so googled it. The company was John Edgington of Old Kent Road Bermondsey. If you google it you will see the hangman's ropes.
The man they couldn't hang? John (babbacombe) lee. He was sentenced to hang for murder, but the trap door failed on 3 attempts, this happened at Exeter prison in 1885.
It was once said if an execution failed the person was never to be put forward for execution again. I read once that the prison inmates would construct the gallows. Using warped wood, and standing in a certain way the trapdoor wouldnt open. 🤷
Pierrepoint was the true professional. Even his uncle, and father before him. He was taught well. He should've been the official hangman at Nuremberg too, after the Yank that botched all the executions there.
Contrary to popular belief, the long drop hanging may not be painless. If the hangman's fracture is established it will cause paralysis from the neck down preventing the diaphragm from moving and hence preventing breathing. Choking is the crushing of the trachea preventing breathing. Strangulation involves compression of the carotids preventing blood flow to the brain. I suspect that no matter which of these ensues, consciousness is lost within 30 seconds....but nobody knows for certain because nobody has lived to tell nor did they hang around to give a report. I think the same may be said for execution by Guillotine. Your last vision may be the bottom of the basket that your head falls off into....unless it rolls over and you get to look at the sky. Fade to black! Amazing how clever mankind is in coming up with execution machinery.
The formula used to calculate the drop height is as such that it will generate over a ton of force on the neck, so that even when the cerebral vertebrae aren't fractured that sudden and very violent tug on the spinal cord and brain stem are more than enough to cause deep unconsciousness, probably permanently but at the very least more than enough for the time of death to set in. In regards to the guillotine, there will definitely have been some people who experienced the few seconds after decapitation, and there is at least one if not several cases where the decapitated head actually followed the executioner with its eyes and apparently grimaced and angry frown.
@@pieterveenders9793 I am familiar with this. Of course you are correct but there is nothing that I could find in the medical literature supporting the contention that judicial hanging causes instant unconsciousness... It has been a supposition as far as I can tell. What you described came predominantly from observations from the use of the Guillotine as well as the garden variety simple block and axe.
I agree! Long drop is faster than slow hanging, but we cannot know for sure if death is instant, they cannot tell us. In a story that I am writing, hanging is not used as execution, but as torture. I find the concept extremely eerie.
@@Sheilawisz That it is painless is certainly a stretch and I would not get all choked up about the issue. The whole thing is, however, absolutely breathtaking!
Interestingly, after he had retired, Pierrepoint actually changed his mind over capital punishment, no longer believing it was a deterrent or just. Many believe it was the execution of Ruth Ellis (the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain), which he carried out, that changed his mindset over capital punishment.
@@joehart7260 he also said in a BBC radio interview that he changed his mind back again when he could see society becoming more violent. I genuinely think he was on the fence at different stages in his life.
You are actually correct Pieerpoint did say that in the last decade of his life he never made comments on Evans or Bentley but did make comments on Ruth Ellis, her sister campained or her behalf and Albert Pieerpoint began to understand why Ruth Ellis never stood a chance.
Albert executed one of his regulars in the pub, with whom he used to sing, even having nicknames for each other. Albert said that if the deterent didn't work for this fella, Tish and Tosh, even though he knew what Albert did then it called into question the effectiveness of any deterent effect. My own feeling is that for certain catergories of crime, the perpetrator should be executed, in as humane manner as possible, I would have no issue with pulling the lever. With advances in forensic science the establishing of guilt has become a much more certain process, and for convictions where guilt is absolute then it should be an option. When carried out professionally the British method of long drop hanging is by far the most humane and quickest, I think Alberts fastest was around 8 seconds from entering the condemned cell to dropping the prisoner through the trap.
@@mickymondo7463 I totally agree, like the recent case of Damien Bendall who murdered 4 people in a house including an 11 year old girl who was also raped and then just admitted it and gave himself up. No question of his guilt so just send him to the gallows.
Hanging possibly much more humane than the executions that they still carry out in curtain states of America. But much much worse n certain oil rich Arab states , they have a so called chop chop squire where people can see peoples heads being chopped off!
I made a documentary called Hanging with Frank about the Barlinnie Prison execution chamber. Short clip here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5fX4aX7o11c.html
DV Scotland is an independent informal group of radio amateurs, mostly based in Scotland, who share a common interest in Digital / Analogue voice systems. ru-vid.com/show-UCdswor_tH5l_h8zGjqZ9c8g
There was 49 executions in Mountjoy prison, 42 hangings and 7 firing squad, only 1 female was executed, that was Annie Walsh, the British executed 12 and the Irish state executed 37, all the British executions were by hanging, the Irish state shot 4 during the civil war and 3 during the second world wars, the first execution in Mountjoy was in 1901 and the last execution in Mountjoy ( and in Ireland ) was in 1956.
Very good video - it would be interesting to see similar places where hangings happened eg Lincoln and York. It’s not because of a morbid interest but, as said at the end, it’s an important part of our history.
Once he talked about the "T" shaped chalk marks Pierrepoint had made on the trap doors I wouldn't have been able to resist looking for residual chalk on them.
Great video, very informative and well put together. I've visited the hanging shed at Freemantle Prison which still has the working trap doors. An extremely sad and humbling place to visit.
I remember when Mr Mangan from Limerick, he was hanged in Limerick..I believe he was the last Man to be executed Pls let me know, if anybody knows about this, I looked it up to no Avail…🧚🏼♂️🧚🏿♀️🧚
The last murder that led to a hanging in Ireland happened near Castletroy, Limerick in 1954. Carter Michael Manning (also called Mangan) of Castleconnell, followed an elderly nurse Catherine Cooper, along a quiet path late at night before dragging her into a field. There he proceeded to violently sexually assault her knocking out some of her teeth and leaving her with horrific injuries in the process. She died eventually through asphyxiation due to having grass stuffed in her mouth. Manning was disturbed by passers by and fled but left his hat at the scene which incriminated him. His crime was so shocking, that even though Ireland had seen no hanging for 6 years, and despite the fact that the appetite was nearly gone for capital punishment, there were few in Limerick protesting the severity of the sentence. He was hanged on April 20, 1954.
Very interesting. One thing I have never understood is why part of the death sentence involved burying the condemned within the prison grounds and not returning the body to their relatives. Seems a bit harsh.
In the days when it was believed that one's body had to be buried intact in consecrated ground in order to be resurrected to eternal life, burying executed criminals in unconsecrated prison ground, usually in quicklime was seen as denying them resurrection and barring them from heaven. This was deliberately intended to add to the horror of the punishment.
@@neilhamilton5469 Then I guess the state could have decided whether to release the body to the relatives or not, and it seems in most cases they didn't.
@@joehart7260one case of the body being returned to the family was that of Derek Bentley whose remains were finally handed over to his family for reburial about 13 years after his execution.
@@darz3829 More accurately, it starts a picosecond from now. But you have no direction for the future unless you know how things got to their present state. As many have said, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. What mostly gets repeated when we don't remember history are the mistakes that we could avoid repeating if we only remember how and why they happened.
@@silverhammer7779 A picosecond? Wow, it's a good thing you're not splitting hairs. Anyway, as for mistakes, right now we are making loads of mistakes in everything yet are completely aware of history. So that tired old bromide needs to be replaced. It would be a continued mistake to take it at face value.
@@darz3829 Maybe it would be better to say, "He who does not learn from history is condemned to repeat it." Because the idiots in charge obviously never learned from it ("But...this time it'll be different! I didn't work before because WE weren't in charge!") So says every generation, with predictable results.
@@silverhammer7779 So essentially the sayings could be ""Without our history, we have no future." " AND " Despite history we have no future." I repeat - ridiculous.
Wouldn’t fancy working in the bakery so. If you don’t mind me asking, did you ever meet Sean from the video during your time? He worked across the services.