The Enemy Within: Hucksters, Racketeers, Deserters, and Civilians During the Second World War

by Donald Serrell Thomas

While the Second World War produced numerous acts of self-sacrifice, it also made many people rich. The criminal activities of the British underworld that extended from the civilian population right through to the armed forces constitute one of the great untold stories of the war. The Blitz of 1940 may have made a nation of heroes, but in the shadows the shelter gangs and looters prowled.
Acclaimed author Donald Thomas draws on extensive archival material for these tales of profiteering. He retells how between 1940 and 1941 a Liverpool ship repairer cheated the government of the modern equivalent of $30 million, while $120 million a month was looted from relief supplies at the port of Trieste. Professional gangs raided British government offices for ration books, and underground presses counterfeited gasoline and clothing coupons by the tens of thousands. Illegal food supplies threatened the nation's health—a consignment of black market sausages in Hackney contained tuberculous meat, while the industrial alcohol, or "hooch", served to pilots in London's West End clubs could produce blindness and brain damage.
The Enemy Within also recounts colossal theft within the army. Vehicles would arrive at front line railheads stripped of tools, spare parts, and removable components, and whole consignments of cigarettes and razor blades disappeared.
In addition to these stories, The Enemy Within includes revealing photos of known law-breakers, victims, and illegal transactions. The facts Thomas uncovers are often so preposterous that in a novel they would seem unbelievable. These are the extraordinary and often absurd stories of less-than-heroic Britons.

Genres: History

429 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

aka Francis Selwyn

Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.

Reviews

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would contain some information about gangsters; but there is surprisingly little about such hoodlums. They appear at odd times, usually as part of Billy Hill's recollections. There are vague references to organizations and syndicates; but these are rarely flushed out. The only reference to Jack Comer was that he built his wealth and power by controlling a black market ring based in Leeds. Other references include the violent robbers of the Elephant Boys; but Thomas argues they were not really a gang; but rather neighborhood ruffians. Syndicate crime loosely appears on the fringes of the war, especially in North Africa and the Middle East, where army deserters quickly establish black market rings.

The research is thorough with Thomas reporting on many little crimes to establish patterns. The result is that readers will feel like every British citizen sought a way to avoid the rationing. Thomas tries to balance the heroism and strength of the British people; but makes it clear that popular feeling at the time was that many government restrictions were ridiculous along with the methods of enforcement. The classic example of government overreach being 'undercover agents' observing restaurant portions and arresting customers and proprietors. They were also notorious for trying to convince businessmen to violate laws.

There were plenty of scandals; but few seemed to involve major businesses. Only in one case did a wealthy businessman commit suicide when it was clear he was cheating the government by billing them for 3x as many workers as employed. However, even that scheme did not account for the millions of pounds that he had stashed away.

Most of the book focused on the petty citizen crimes of stealing from bombed out buildings, selling goods without accounting for ration coupons, or similar petty offenses. The book does detail the black market on multiple levels: the basic retail side, the supply side, and hints at the larger criminal organizations binding the two. However, there really is little evidence of the shadowy middlemen. The last chapter in the book describes a scandal whereby some shady middlemen corrupted some amateur politicians; but for the most part, the actual racketeers are hidden within the pages.

Readers can become bored and overwhelmed with the details of petty arrests for petty crimes, page after page. Nevertheless, it shows how many rats there are in society ready to take advantage of their fellow human beings. It is a fascinating look at life in war-torn Europe. Thomas adds that many racketeers from the British, French, and Free Polish armed forces quickly expanded to operate in mainland Europe after D-Day. While Thomas does not venture much further, he hints that similar crimes were especially prevalent, on even grander scales, in Europe. By means of teasing his audience in multiple sections of the book, he refers to the monthly pilfering of $120 million from goods brought into the relief port of Trieste. A darker look at war profiteering is necessary.