Albert Pierrepoint, Executioner Quiz

Answer: Yorkshire

Albert was born 30th March 1905, to parents Henry and Mary. He was the middle child, born in Clayton, Bradford, which was located in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Answer: Strangeways Prison

In 1931 Pierrepoint attended an interview for assistant executioner at Strangeways prison. Strangeways is a prison in Manchester and was known for its riots in 1990. The riots lasted for 25 days, and following the riots the prison became known simply as HMP Manchester.

Answer: uncle

Both Pierrepoint's father Henry, and his Uncle Thomas were listed public executioners. However it was his Uncle Thomas he assisted, at Mountjoy Prison, Dublin on 29th December 1932. Hanging in Britain was something of a family business. The Home Office was keen only to recruit people who could be relied on to be discreet and who knew what was expected of them.

Answer: drayman

Pierrepoint was a drayman delivering vegetables for a greengrocer. This he did on a bicycle until 1930 when he learned to drive and eventually acquired a lorry to make his deliveries.

Answer: True

Pierrepoint hung both men and women during his time as executioner. These executions were carried out, in various places in the world. Pierrepoint was responsible for the hanging of Ruth Ellis 13th July 1955, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

Answer: Annie Fletcher

Albert Pierrepoint married Annie Fletcher on 29th August 1943. Annie ran a sweet shop, near to the grocery shop where Albert worked. Albert and Annie set up house in Newton Heath, Manchester.

Answer: Derek Bentley

Despite constant protestations of innocence, and a belief that he would be given a last minute appeal, Derek Bentley was hanged by Pierrepoint at Wandsworth Prison on 28th January 1953. After many appeals from his family, Derek was eventually given a posthumous pardon 45 years later in July 1998.

Answer: Gibraltar

In 1944 Pierrepoint visited Gibraltar to carry out a double execution. His wife was aware of Albert's 'other job', but they never openly referred to it, and his friends were also unaware.

Answer: True

Albert Pierrepoint, over a four year period, executed Nazi war criminals starting with 11 executions on 13 December 1945 arising from the Bergen-Belsen Trial. When reporting executions carried out in Germany the British press was not bound by the strict rules of secrecy that they were subject to in the United Kingdom.

They were able to publish the hangmen's names, for example, and soon Pierrepoint became a popular hero. All this was frowned upon by the officials at the Home Office. Pierrepoint made a vast sum of money from the execution of the war criminals - he hanged 202 in all - and decided to buy a public house, named "Help the Poor Struggler". (Some found the name of the pub in poor taste).

Answer: Southport

Albert Pierrepoint, and Annie, retired to the quiet seaside resort of Southport in the North West of England, south of Blackpool. Albert spent the last four years of his life in a nursing home, where he died at the age of 87, on 10th July 1992.