File:Lawrence Armstrong alias Hanby, soldier, arrested for theft (21697229408).jpg

Name: Lawrence Armstrong alias Hanby Arrested for: not given Arrested at: North Shields Police Station Arrested on: 30 September 1915 Tyne and Wear Archives ref: DX1388-1-262-Lawrence Armstrong AKA Hanby

The Shields Daily News for 8 October 1915 reports:

“A SOLDIER COMMITTED FOR THEFT.

Today at North Shields, Laurence Armstrong (21) of the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers was charged with having stolen on Sept. 20th a box of cigarettes valued at 5s from the shop of Henry Nicholson, tobacconist, Saville Street. An assistant of the prosecutor’s said she was serving a customer on the above date, when accused entered the shop, picked up a box of cigarettes and went away.

Defendant was further charged with having stolen a dress ring, valued at £1, the property of Valone Harrison, conductress of a tramcar on Sept. 14th. The prosecutrix said the accused boarded a car on which she was following her employment. He asked to look at her ring. She took it off her finger and showed it to him. Witness then went to collect some fares and while she was thus engaged the accused got off the car.

Detective Mason said that when accused was arrested on the previous charge a pawn ticket relating to the ring was found in his possession. Accused pleaded guilty and said he was very sorry. He had been seven months at the front and had been gassed. He was committed to prison for 14 days on each charge”.

These images are taken from an album of photographs of prisoners brought before the North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916 (TWAM ref. DX1388/1). This set is our selection of the best mugshots taken during the First World War. They have been chosen because of the sharpness and general quality of the images. The album doesn’t record the details of each prisoner’s crimes, just their names and dates of arrest.

In order to discover the stories behind the mugshots, staff from Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums visited North Shields Local Studies Library where they carefully searched through microfilm copies of the ‘Shields Daily News’ looking for newspaper reports of the court cases. The newspaper reports have been transcribed and added below each mugshot.

Combining these two separate records gives us a fascinating insight into life on the Home Front during the First World War. These images document the lives of people of different ages and backgrounds, both civilians and soldiers. Our purpose here is not to judge them but simply to reflect the realities of their time.