Honors & Death

As Secretary for India, crusty, conservative old Leopold Amery had stood by Churchill's side during the war's grim years. In October, the King awarded the rare Imperial Order of the Crown of India to Mrs. Florence Amery. Five weeks later the Amerys' elder son stood in the dock at Old Bailey and heard a judge intone:"John Amery, you now stand a self-convicted traitor to your King and country, and you have forfeited the right to live."

All his 33 years this Amery, a charming chap in his cups, had been wrong. Known to his friends as "The Rat," he left Harrow at 16, hurried to Lausanne to do the night spots. After 74 traffic violations had been charged against him, he was barred from England's roads.

When war came John Amery turned up in Vichy France. He spoke over the German radio, tried to enlist British prisoners for action against the Russians. In spite of John Amery's family connections, it took British justice just eight minutes to accept his plea of guilty, sentence John Amery to be hanged.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.