History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

This is an unusual story from 1916 in the middle of the First World War. May Pullman was a young barmaid at The Crown Hotel, the large pub in the middle of Cricklewood. François Minner aged 32, had been discharged from the Belgian Army and was one of the 250,000 Belgians who had come to England as refugees during the beginning of the War. He was working in a munitions factory and rented a room at 68 Grafton Street Fitzroy Square, near Warren Street. The Crown Cricklewood with a horse bus outside, 1904 (Marianne Colloms) On 18 April, May arrived for work at 5.00 pm and was walking to the side door of The Crown. She did not see François who grabbed her arm as she walked past. She pushed him away and told him to leave her alone. Suddenly, he took a razor from the pocket of his Macintosh and cut her across the throat. She staggered back holding her throat which was bleeding heavily.  Motobus outside The Crown, 1912 (Getty Images) Minner walked away and was stopped by Fred Howard, a flo...