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Biography[]
John Haigh was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, and raised in the village of Outwood, West Riding of Yorkshire. His parents were engineer John Robert Haigh and his wife Emily (née Hudson), members of the Plymouth Brethren, a conservative Protestant sect.
Haigh later claimed that he suffered from recurring religious nightmares in his childhood. He developed great proficiency at the piano, which he learned at home. He was fond of classical music and often attended concerts.
Haigh won a scholarship to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, then to Wakefield Cathedral, where he became a choirboy. After school, he was apprenticed to a firm of motor engineers. After a year, he left that job and took jobs in insurance and advertising. Aged 21, he was dismissed after being suspected of stealing from a cash box.
On 6 July 1934, Haigh married 23-year-old Beatrice 'Betty' Hamer. The marriage soon disintegrated. The same year that Haigh was jailed for fraud, Betty gave birth while he was in prison, although she placed the baby girl for adoption and left Haigh. Haigh's conservative family ostracised him from then onwards.
Haigh moved to London in 1936, and became chauffeur to William McSwan, a wealthy owner of amusement arcades. He also maintained McSwan's amusement machines. Thereafter he pretended to be a solicitor named William Cato Adamson with offices in Chancery Lane, London; Guildford, Surrey; and Hastings, Sussex. He sold fraudulent stock shares, purportedly from the estates of his deceased clients, at below-market rates. His scam was uncovered by someone who noticed he had misspelled Guildford as "Guilford" on his letterhead. Haigh received a four-year prison sentence for fraud. Haigh was released just after the start of the Second World War; he continued as a fraudster and was sentenced to several further terms of imprisonment.
Regretting that he had left victims alive to accuse him, he became intrigued by French murderer Georges-Alexandre Sarret, who had disposed of bodies using sulphuric acid. Haigh experimented with field mice and found that it took only 30 minutes for the body to dissolve.
Victims[]
Confirmed victims[]
| Name | Age | Disappeared | Body Found | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William McSwan | September 6, 1944 | Bludgeoned & Dissolved in Sulphuric acid | ||
| Donald McSwan | July 2, 1945 | Bludgeoned | ||
| Amy McSwan | July 2, 1945 | Bludgeoned | ||
| Dr. Archibald Henderson | February 12, 1948 | Shot in the head & dissolved in Sulphuric acid | ||
| Rosalie Henderson | February 12, 1948 | Shot & dissolved in Sulphuric acid | ||
| Olive Durand-Deacan | 69 | February 18, 1949 | Sulphuric acid |
Suspected victims[]
| Name | Age | Disappeared | Body Found | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max | ||||
| A girl from Eastbourne | ||||
| A woman from Hammersmith |
Timeline[]
Bibliography[]
Literature[]
Articles[]
- Katie Serena (November 28, 2017). The Story Of John George Haigh, The Acid Bath Murderer, Is Just As Gruesome As His Nickname Suggests. All That's Interesting.
Documentaries[]
Television[]
YouTube Documentaries[]
- The Sadistic Acid Bath Murderer (Murder Maps), Real Crime on YouTube
- The Terrifying Acid Bath Murderer (True Crime Documentary), Real Stories on YouTube
Podcasts[]
- John George Haigh - Part 1. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- John George Haigh - Part 2. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
In popular culture[]
Film adaptation[]
Related Articles[]
See also[]
Links[]
- John Haigh at Wikipedia
Notes[]
References[]