Criminals in

BETWEEN 1914 and 1918, Britain found itself engaged in a bloody conflict with Germany – World War One.

With hundreds of thousands of men away fighting on the Western Front and around the globe, and with women on the home front regularly doing the tough, manual jobs their absent menfolk would normally do, it was an exhausting time for the nation.

In February 1915, The Times reported claims made at the Old Bailey that crime had fallen to its lowest level for nearly 20 years. This was the case across the UK, but criminal activity, mainly at a low level, continued to take place even as the country bonded together in a common cause against the bitter enemy.

The unfortunate individuals in our archive police mugshots would find themselves classed as “criminals” after being convicted of relatively minor offences in North Shields during the First World War era. It was a time of great hardship, especially towards the end of the war when Germany wreaked havoc on Britain’s merchant shipping and the country teetered towards the brink of starvation as food imports dried up.

The striking mugshots are published courtesy of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. They are taken from an album acquired by the Archive containing photographs of prisoners brought before North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916.

The original images, of course, are black and white, but these photographs have had new life breathed into them after being colourised. The work has been carried out by history and genealogy enthusiast Deborah Pugh, who lives in Essex but whose grandfather hailed from South Shields.

Deborah says: “I work in education and I enjoy photography as a hobby. I became interested in restoring and colourising old family photos. One evening, while watching the programme Peaky Blinders on TV, I saw an old black and white mugshot and wondered what it might look like in colour.

“While searching online, I came across old images from Tyne & Wear Archives. I was shocked by some of the harsh punishments given to the Victorian children for petty crimes, some of whom would have been destitute. So this gave me the idea to embark on this project, with permission from the Archives.

“I believe that by adding colour to old images, it helps to bring out the character of the person and makes it easier to relate to them. It also highlights details in the clothing, hair, accessories and jewellery which the eye may otherwise overlook.”

We feature original black and white police mugshots, Deborah Pugh’s colourised versions, and her summary of the stories surrounding each individual. We will be featuring more of

Deborah’s work in the coming weeks and months.

Lillian Tibbs: In September, 1914, Lillian Tibbs was charged with stealing a blue dress to the value of £1. Lilian purported to be a married woman and had “engaged a combined room” at the prosecutrix’s property, but it was subsequently discovered to be untrue and she was asked to leave. The dress went missing on the day she left.

Her mother said her daughter had been in a “situation” in Monkseaton, but was not aware of the life she had been living and, as this was her first offence, asked magistrates to be lenient.

The accused said she had gone to live with a man out of spite against his wife, but he had now gone to the Western Front. The accused promised to amend her life and was bound over in the sum of £5 to be of good behaviour for six months.

James Chase: In 1916, James George Chase, a munitions worker, was accused of obtaining money by false pretences from Joseph Emery, to the sum of £20 with intent to cheat and defraud. The case centred around an estate in Australia valued at £70,000.

The defendant was asked on two occasions for £10, which he paid in the belief that what he was being told was true. James was committed to prison for one month.

Christina Austin: In 1916, Christina Austin together with her accomplice, Wilhelmina Armstrong, stole two dresses valued at £1 from the Wardrobe shop of Lottie Cooper, Rudyerd Street.

The prosecutrix said the two girls asked to be shown some frocks and spent half an hour in her shop. They left saying that they would return four days later. After they left, she alerted the police because she noticed a dress had gone missing.

The girls returned four days later and she sent for the police, who subsequently discovered another dress, which belonged to the prosecutrix. The girls pleaded guilty. Armstrong was fined 19s 6d. The bench considered that Austin had been led astray to some extent and she was bound over in the sum of £5, to be of good behaviour for 12 months.

Mona Wilson: In 1916, together with her husband John, Mona Wilson was arrested for theft from a house of one bed quilt, foot wrap, flannelette sheet, three blouses and two aprons, valued at 35s, from Jennie Sawyer.

Mona subsequently pledged the articles for 5s 6d. Both pleaded guilty, although John said that his wife should not be punished because she did not steal the things. Mona said she had never done such a thing in her life before and was sorry. John got one month hard labour in prison and his wife was dismissed.