Harry Edward Vickers (Flannelfoot) | |
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Born | Harry Edward Vickers 3 September 1888 Reading, Berkshire, England |
Died | 9 December 1942 | (aged 54)
Other names | Henry Williams, Flannelfoot |
Occupation(s) | Butcher, rifleman and burglar |
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.
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]
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]
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][page needed]
In December 1937, Vickers was arrested and tried at the Middlesex Sessions.[17][18][19]