Harry Edward Vickers

Harry Edward Vickers (3 September 1888 – 9 December 1942) was a cat-burglar who was active in the 1920s and 1930s. He wore flannel over his shoes to muffle his footsteps, which earned him the nickname Flannelfoot.

Harry Edward Vickers (Flannelfoot)
9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
Born
Harry Edward Vickers

(1888-09-03)3 September 1888
Reading, Berkshire, England
Died9 December 1942(1942-12-09) (aged 54)
Other namesHenry Williams, Flannelfoot
Occupation(s)Butcher, rifleman and burglar

His ability to avoid detection and capture by the Metropolitan Police was the subject of media sensation. Whilst the police knew his identity, they lacked evidence to arrest him. He was sentenced in December 1937 to five years penal servitude for housebreaking.

Vickers used rags or cloth taken from the houses he burgled to muffle his footsteps. He stole and discarded a bicycle as part of his getaway. Upon finding these items, police were able to attribute the crime to Vickers with confidence. Vickers also opened windows by drilling a single hole close to the latch.[1]

Military service

Vickers served as a rifleman in the Rifle Brigade from July 1916 to July 1918 on active service in France and Flanders. He sustained a serious leg injury that prevented him from serving, and was awarded the Silver War Badge along with the Victory Medal and British War Medal.[2][3]

Criminal history

Early crimes
  • September 1921: Vickers broke into the house of a prominent local singer at Hounslow.[4][5]
  • March 1922: Vickers raided houses in Aylett Road, Isleworth. He took money from gas meters and a handbag, but left a child's money box unopened despite moving it.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
  • November 1922: Break-ins at Isleworth in South-Western Terrace were reported, where gas meters were robbed, and attributed to Vickers.[12]
  • October 1923: Vickers was attributed to several burglaries in the Harrow district. Entry was gained in most cases by drilling a hole in a scullery or kitchen window frame to insert a wire and lift the latch.[13]
  • November 1923: Burglaries on one night in Carlton Avenue, Kenton, were attributed to Vickers. Small articles and loose money were taken and a hearty meal made in one of the houses.[14]
  • May 1927: Eight burglaries at Kenton Park Crescent were believed to be committed by Vickers.[15]

Identification by Scotland Yard

In May 1934, Scotland Yard had circulated a girl's picture in the hunt for Flannelfoot. She was the 13-year-old daughter of a Reading butcher named Henry Williams, also known as Harry Edward Vickers.[16]

Capture and sentencing

In December 1937, Vickers was arrested and tried at the Middlesex Sessions.[17][18][19]

References
  1. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19380105&id=cbFQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BiIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5803%2C1056613
  2. UK, WW1 Service Medal Award Rolls 1914–1920
  3. British Army WW1 Medal Roll Index Cards 1914–1920
  4. Sunday Post 4 September 1921 p2
  5. Nottingham Journal 5 September 1921 p2
  6. Birmingham Gazette 2 March 1922 p5
  7. Nottingham Journal 2 March 1922 p7
  8. Nottingham Evening Post 2 March 1922 p1
  9. Sheffield Daily Independent 2 March 1922 p5
  10. Dundee Evening Telegraph 2 March 1922 p5
  11. Market Harborough Advertiser 7 March 1922 p7
  12. Birmingham Gazette 22 November 1922 p5
  13. Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette 5 October 1923 p3
  14. Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette 9 November 1923 p3
  15. Uxbridge and West Drayton Gazette 20 May 1927
  16. Daily Herald 25 May 1934
  17. Northern Daily Mail 2 December 1937 The Midland Daily Telegraph 2 December 1937 (front page)
  18. Daily Herald. 3 December 1937 (front page)
  19. The Illustrated Police News 9 December 1937 p8

Further reading
  • Great Cases of Scotland Yard[1]
  • Horwell of the Yard[2]

References
  1. Great Cases of Scotland Yard Volume One by Eric (introduction); Elizabeth Jenkins; Michael Innes; Andrew Garve; Ludovic Kennedy; Clive Egleton Ambler
  2. Horwell of the Yard. Author: John E Horwell, Publisher: Andrew Melrose 1947
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