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A Devilish Kind of Courage

Anarchists, Aliens and the Siege of Sidney Street

Andrew Whitehead author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Reaktion Books

Published:1st Mar '24

Should be back in stock very soon

A Devilish Kind of Courage cover

On 3 January 1911, in the heart of London’s mainly Jewish East End, police discovered Latvian revolutionaries wanted for the murder of three officers. A six-hour gunfight ensued, with a fire consuming the besieged building. Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, arrived at the scene and ordered the blaze not to be extinguished. Afterwards two charred bodies were found; the elusive Peter the Painter, believed to have been the ringleader, remained at large. This gripping episode, known as the ‘Siege of Sidney Street’, was a nationwide sensation and ignited fierce debates on immigration to Britain, political extremism and law enforcement. This book unravels the full story of the siege, the Latvian émigrés and their ties to the vibrant anarchist movement in London’s East End.

ISBN: 9781789148442

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

304 pages