Alice Barton

Status:

Open

Offense Location:

Woodchurch, Birkenhead, United Kingdom

Summary:

Alice Barton, 49, was strangled and mutilated in Woodchurch, Birkenhead, England in September 1955. Her body was discovered in a World War II pillbox on September 24, 1955, by an 11-year-old boy picking blackberries. The case remains unsolved despite a massive police investigation involving over 40,000 interviews.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Alice Barton's mutilated body was found on Saturday, September 24, 1955, inside a wartime pillbox in the Fender Valley area of Woodchurch, Birkenhead. She was discovered by 11-year-old Peter Williams, who was picking blackberries with friends Brian Lennon (11), Alec Lennon (4), and John Williams (12) near New Hey Road. Peter looked inside the concrete pillbox structure—originally built by the Home Guard during wartime—and initially thought he had found a mannequin. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the body of a woman with clothes piled on her face. The then-unidentified woman appeared to be between 50-60 years of age. She had been strangled and mutilated. An obscene three-word message—reportedly "I am VD"—had been scrawled on her body in red lipstick. It was believed she had been dead for two to three days before her body was found. A trail of footprints was discovered in the dew-drenched grass leading from the pillbox, found at approximately 8:10am on September 25 by a woodsman from Arrowe Park named Leslie Poole.

Additional Details:

Following the discovery, police immediately launched a comprehensive murder investigation. Scotland Yard's Murder Squad was called in to assist local Birkenhead CID, with Detective-Superintendent George Miller and Detective-Sergeant Ernest Bellamy coordinating the inquiry. The victim's identity remained unknown for several days until police published her photograph in the newspaper. Several Liverpool Echo readers recognized her, and her estranged husband, John Barton, a 56-year-old colliery worker from Atherton, Lancashire, identified her body at Price Street Mortuary in Birkenhead. John Barton stated he had not seen his wife since Christmas 1943, when she walked out on him after a 12-year separation. Police later learned that Alice Barton had been staying at St Winifred's Hotel (located on the junction of Knowsley Road and Rimrose Road in Bootle) days before her murder, despite having no apparent means of support or employment. It was later reported that Alice had turned to sex work following the breakdown of her marriage. She was described as a "wanderer" who drifted around Merseyside, to Wigan, Manchester, and as far south as Bristol. She was known in waterfront bars on both sides of the Mersey River and mixed chiefly with sailors. She spoke with a strong Lancashire accent and reportedly spoke of having a son, though if such a son existed, he did not attend her funeral. Alice Barton's funeral took place at Landican Cemetery on September 30, 1955, with only her estranged husband John Barton present as a mourner. The investigation triggered an extensive police manhunt with approximately 40,000 people across Britain being interviewed. Nearly all Birkenhead Corporation bus conductors and drivers were interviewed, particularly those working on the 77 route between Woodside and Moreton, which passed Arrowe Park and Woodchurch. Police also boarded the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of France at Liverpool to interview crew members. Detectives searched for two specific persons of interest: a man with a "pointed chin" and another man who telephoned Birkenhead police station at 8pm on October 1 from a phone box at the junction of Manor Hill and Grosvenor Road. Further inquiries were made in the Ramsgate and Margate areas. No weapon was ever traced, and despite the massive investigation, no suspect was ever identified or arrested. The case remains unsolved. Merseyside Police's Serious Crime Review Unit has stated that the investigation remains open, and the unit has recently received new information about the case.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 06, 2026