On September 9th 1917 former Colne Valley Socialist MP and would-be revolutionary Victor Grayson (Charles Strange in the TV Series) arrived in Etaples Base Camp. A few hours later a mutiny was in full swing.
Category: Jazz Age Mysteries
Shadows, Spies, and Socialism: The Baffling Disappearance of Victor Grayson
In late September 1920, former MP and firebrand socialist Victor Grayson vanished into thin air, leaving behind one of Britain’s most haunting political mysteries. According to Hilda Porter, the manageress of his London apartment building, Grayson had been receiving biweekly cash deliveries from two uniformed men. On his final day, two enigmatic strangers arrived, spent…
Victor Grayson MP – A Timeline Biography
Timeline September 5, 1881: Albert Victor Grayson is born in Liverpool. Just a few months previously, the Grayson family had been living on Sidney Street in the Poplar district of London — scene of an infamous siege. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the Poplar district was home to the largest Russian émigré community…
The Nightingale Shore Murder Part II
Section D and Russian Intrigue So far, we’ve learned that Captain Ernest Brown was not only questioned about the Nightingale Shore murder, he was also questioned about two other serious incidents: the murder of a police officer in Turkey, and spying on subs in Glasgow. In the first of these, the Nightingale Shore murder, Ernest…
The Cross Keys Mystery
In the end it turns out that detective Woodhall may have had every reason to be suspicious about Private Percy Toplis. In January 1920 Toplis had been a suspect in the murder of Mrs Frances Buxton, capable and affluent landlady of the Cross Keys tavern in London. According to a report published by the Daily…
Florence Nightingale Shore and the Truth of Her Murder
Toplis may be the most famous suspect in the case, but an unseen interview with Ernest C. Brown reveals another possibility.
Hilda Porter and the Georgian House Mystery
In September 1920, former Colne Valley MP and self-styled Socialist revolutionary Victor Grayson walked out of his plush apartment at the Georgian House in London’s St James’s, never to be seen again. Or at least that’s how the story goes. And we have two people to thank for this chilling narrative: 24-year old hotel manageress,…