Executioner Pierrepoint

Description: Father Henry and Uncle Thomas were both high-profile executioners with Henry being sensationally sacked after an 11-year career for being drunk on the job. Albert functioned as Thomas assistant carrying out hundreds of executions before he went it alone.During WWII Albert Pierrepoint was hailed as a hero he was the only Executioner allowed to cross the English Channel on a mission to end the lives of some of the most notorious Nazi criminals in history. His main claim to fame was the day he carried out 13 hangings of the war criminals from Belsen.We take a macabre look into the history of Capital Punishment examining the differences between hangings in Scotland England and Ireland. We are introduced to Alberts wife Anne with whom he never discussed his career before having a change of heart and becoming a pub landlord.We also take a look at the Royal Commission of 1949 where Pierrepoint played a vital role in deciding whether Capital Punishment was to be banned or reformed. A few executioners carried on until the 13th August 1964 when the final executions were carried out and this historical career was finally over.