History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

On the afternoon of 9 June 1910, 50-year old business man William Samuel Frost left his office in Bishopsgate to return to his home in Ruislip. At Baker Street station he got into an empty first-class carriage on the Metropolitan express train which did not stop between Baker Street and Kilburn. A few minutes later a man got into the carriage and sat opposite.  When the train entered a tunnel, without any warning, the man suddenly pulled out a Colt revolver and fired two shots at Frost which fortunately missed him. Frost grabbed the man and fought for his life. A third shot hit him in the chin and in the fierce struggle the gun fell to the floor. The man had opened the carriage door and Frost was able to kick the gun out of the door. He shouted for help as the man attempted to push him out of the train, and Frost tried to pull the communication cord but there wasn’t one.  As the train slowed on the approach to Swiss Cottage station, the assailant jumped out and ran back down t...

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...