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According to the Â鶹Éç’s dramatisation in the 1980’s Percy Topliss, the Monocled Mutineer led a mutiny at Etaples during World War One. In truth he was nowhere near Etaples when this incident took place. He was, however, an actual person.

Topliss was born in Blackwell in 1897. By the time he joined the army in 1915 he had a lengthy criminal record and had also spent time in prison for attempted rape. After going AWOL from the Royal Medical Corp during WW1 he acquired a captain’s uniform and a gold monocle. He returned to his village and they believed he was a war hero and a captain so held a civic reception for him at the Miners Welfare. It was all a lie.

Topliss never returned to the army and in 1920 after shooting a man in London he was the subject of a massive police man hunt. He was eventually shot dead by officers in Cumbria.

Location: Blackwell, Derbyshire DE55 5JF
Image: Blackwell Miners Welfare