Who Was Albert Pierrepoint?

Albert Pierrepoint was the chief hangman in Britain after Wll and the most famous publican in the land. He took 688 lives. He and his wife Anne ran the unusually named pub, 'Help the Poor Struggler', at Hollinwood near Manchester.
He was named by the News of the World as the jovial hangman. People would seek him out and buy him drinks, shake his hand or ask for his autograph. For all that Pierrepoint conveyed a natural air of authority.
Apart from his work in the UK he was also employed to despatch the guilty from the Nuremberg Trials.
He also hanged 22 Americans in one morning at Shepton Mallet, for that he was paid, his assistant said, "Cash on the nail – in dollars! I've never had such a pocketful of money and I couldn't spend it!"
He did have another side. He was coldly efficient during hangings but also had a nasty streak which could emerge if he thought his profession was being slighted.
Like his predecessor the Victorian, James Berry, Albert turned against capital punishment in later years.