Walsall Anarchists

The Walsall Anarchists were a group of anarchists arrested on explosive charges in Walsall, present-day West Midlands, England in 1892. Recent research into police files has revealed that the bombings were instigated by Auguste Coulon, an agent provocateur of Special Branch Inspector William Melville, who would go on to become an early official of what became MI5. Initial arrests On 6 January 1892, an anarchist from Walsall named Joe Deakin was arrested on Tottenham Court Road, London, and the next day was charged with manufacturing bombs at the Great Marlborough Street Magistrates Court. Following the trial, a number of other anarchists including Victor Cails, Fred Charles, William Ditchfield, John Westley and Jean Battola, were also arrested and jointly charged with manufacturing explosives. When they first appeared at the police court in Walsall, the prosecution asked for the defendants to be remanded for a week, claiming that "[t]he authorities both in Walsall and London had received very important information with reference to what he might call a widespread conspiracy throughout the country." Evidence The evidence that was presented by the prosecution included a number of allegations that the defendants possessed materials for the construction of explosives: Charles was accused of possessing plans written in French for the construction a bomb, as well as a model for an explosive bolt and a French manifesto written by Cails called The Means of Emancipation, which included a call to manufacture and use explosives. Cails was accused of possessing a fuse and several French Anarchist publications, one of which was L'International issue 7, which detailed instructions for the manufacture of explosives and how to use them in the demolition of buildings. Ditchfield was accused of having a plaster cast for building a bomb in his workshop, an explosive bolt in his home and an amount of clay (mixed together with hair) in the Socialist Club's basement.