Event    From 3/1/1911  To 3/1/1911

Sidney Street siege

Categories: Tragedy

We are indebted to Derek Smith for the following write-up of the siege:
The Siege of Sidney Street on 3rd January 1911 came about because of a bungled robbery in Houndsditch in the City of London a few weeks earlier. Latvian revolutionaries were trying to break in to Harris’ jewellers from a nearby house they had rented, but their hammering disturbed the neighbours who called the police. In the resulting affray, three unarmed policemen were killed by the heavily armed gang, and two others seriously wounded. They also mortally wounded one of their own. There was a huge hue and cry over the following weeks. Eventually an informant told the police that some of the gang were hiding out at 100 Sidney Street, Whitechapel. The other occupants were quietly evacuated and the police and army moved in. And the siege began. The revolutionaries it seemed were determined not to be taken alive. They shot back repeatedly over a number of hours and received a fusillade in return. Winston Churchill, the Home Secretary at the time, directed operations. The house eventually caught fire. One explanation is that sparks from a bullet caught a burst gas pipe. Churchill would not let the fire brigade intervene. Finally, when the house was totally quiet, they were allowed in. They found two charred bodies, one of whom had died from gunshot wounds, the other from smoke inhalation. One of the fire officers was crushed under a collapsed wall and died six months later. Other members of the revolutionary cell were already in police custody but a poorly prosecuted case resulted in charges being dropped or their acquittal. The Siege acquired mythical status in the East End, with lots of wild stories circulating. One concerned the mysterious Peter the Painter who some believed was the gang’s mastermind, but is now believed to have been peripheral in the whole affair.

This event was also important for the development of photojournalism. Reproducing photos in newspapers had only just become possible. The Mirror put their photos on the front page and captured the public's attention.

The closing scenes of Hitchcock's 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1934) were inspired by the Sidney Street siege.

This photo looks staged to us - why isn't the photographer also sheltering from gunfire?  Wikipedia have another photo of most of the same people at the same scene looking much more casual.

Credit for this entry to: Derek Smith

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Sidney Street siege

Commemorated ati

Houndsditch murders

Two other officers were crippled for life. The plaque does not mention the Si...

Read More

Peter Piaktow and Sidney Street Siege

Peter House This block was built in 2006 by Tower Hamlets Community Housing a...

Read More

Sidney Street siege and fire

Our colleague Alan Patient decoded JEECS into ‘Jewish East End Celebration So...

Read More

Other Subjects

1874 flood

1874 flood

From Environment Agency:  “In 1874, the tide in the Thames rose 4 feet 3½ inches above Trinity mark, and inundated the south bank of the river along Lambeth, Bankside, and Rotherhithe, and even as ...

Event, Tragedy

1 memorial
Dane Chinnery

Dane Chinnery

Dane Henry A. Chinnery was born on 21 August 1997, the younger child of Anthony N. Chinnery and Beverley L. Chinnery née Hall whose birth was registered in August 1997 in the Croydon registration d...

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia

Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia

Saint in the Orthodox Church, killed by Bolsheviks.

Person, Tragedy, Russia

1 memorial
David Young

David Young

Role on the lost expedition: Boy on SS Erebus. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
George Fox Hosking

George Fox Hosking

Senior 3rd Engineer on the RMS Titanic. A full résumé of his life can be found on the Encyclopedia Titanica website. He is also commemorated on the Engineers Memorial, Andrews East Park, Above Bar...

Person, Engineering, Tragedy

1 memorial

Previously viewed

French hospital

French hospital

EC1, Bath Street, St Luke's Primary School

Site of the French hospital founded by royal charter in 1718 to house the poor or infirm of French Huguenot descent. In 1866 the hospital...

2 subjects commemorated
Queen Mary (consort)

Queen Mary (consort)

Wife of George V, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. Born Princess Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck at Kensington Palace. Nicknamed May, the month of her birth.  Her...

Person, Royalty

19 memorials
Parliamentary division bell

Parliamentary division bell

The ringing of the bell summons MPs to their respective voting chambers. Apart from the Houses of Parliament, there are many other bells, mainly in local public houses and restaurants. Some MPs als...

Building, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Farmer & Brindley

Farmer & Brindley

Firm of sculptors. Founded by William Farmer (1825-1879) and William Brindley. Worked on many buildings including the Natural History Museum, the Albert Memorial and Holborn Viaduct. In 1929 the fi...

Group, Sculpture

4 memorials
Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress

One of the two major political parties in India, and one of the largest and oldest democratically-operating parties in the world.

Group, Community / Clubs, India

1 memorial