FEARED by criminals, yet holding an abiding fascination for the general public, Dartmoor Prison is one of the most infamous penal institutions in the world. Over its long and checkered history many incidents have occurred within its grim walls. Few have been more significant than the famous mutiny on January 24, 1932. Now, more than seventy years since the events of that terrible day unfolded, a new publication throws a fascinating light on the social and physical conditions that led to the riots. ?Mutiny on the Moor ? The story of the Dartmoor Prison Riot of 1932? by Simon Dell, the Crimbeat coordinator for the High Sheriff of Devon and also for Cornwall, is a highly researched and liberally illustrated account of an incident that made national headlines. Yet the book would not have been created were it not for a fortuitous find by Colin Taylor, a Tavistock resident and friend of Simon. Now a policeman but back in the mid-1980s, working as part of the Youth Training Scheme, Colin discovered some discarded pictures in a skip at Crownhill Police Station. Knowing his friend?s deep interest in police history, Colin fetched the pictures out of the skip and gave them to Simon. These images proved the catalyst for the book ? crisp black and white scenes of crime photographs that showed the prison damage caused by the mutiny. ?I wanted to concentrate on personal accounts of the police and prison officers ? some of whom are still alive,? said Simon. ?I have tried to point to the real reasons for the riots,? said Simon. ?There was a lot more to it than the state of the porridge. These reasons were suppressed at the time.? Times had changed. Now a different type of criminal was being escorted throught the prison gates. The era of the motorcar bandit had arrived. ?They were smash and grab people that had served in the trenches. After the war there was a new breed of criminal coming along that were more ruthless gun-carrying criminals. They were starting to use vehicles for their crimes,? said Simon. He said the ?Old lags? that had previously populated the prisons were largely opportunist criminals. ?But after the first world war they were disciplined and used to take lives legitimately.? A lot of the unrest that boiled over on that fateful day was seated on a raft of social change, the situation inside the prison and attitude towards criminals. The book draws our attention to the creation of the powder keg ? the years following the First World War when immense social change took place in Britain. The depression of the 1920s became a breeding ground for a different sort of criminal. The new wave of young men ? the ?motor car bandit? ? were aggressive and fearless. Many carried guns, a rarity in the days of their predecessors. This in turn meant that the judicial authorities and the police were hard pressed to deal with them. Once caught and imprisoned these new age criminals represented formidable captives. They showed disregard for all authority and were ready to attack prison warders at the first opportunity. As discipline increased so did the disquiet among the prisoners. Eventually the tension exploded into the notorious riot. Simon Dell?s description of the lead up to the event, and the aftermath is both dramatic and enlightening. Well researched and presented in a very engaging way this provides a fascinating insight into the riot. l ?Mutiny on the Moor? (Forest Publishing £4.99) is available at Bookstop in Tavistock and other local bookshops. ROGER MALONE
