13th May 1941
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Hess joined the Nazi on 1st July 1920, and was at Hitler's
side in November 1923 for the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed attempt to seize
control of the government of Bavaria. Whilst serving time in jail for this
attempted coup, Hess helped Hitler write Mein Kampf. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hess was appointed
Deputy Führer and received a post in Hitler's cabinet.
Having learnt to fly at the end of WWI he retained his
interest and obtained his private pilot's licence in 1929. During the 1930’s he
owned 3 aircraft and logged many hours flying time.
On 10 May 1941, Hess flew himself across the Channel to
Scotland, claiming that he wanted to meet with the Duke of Hamilton and plot a
peace treaty that would lead to the supremacy of Germany within Europe and
leave the British Empire intact. He crash landed near Eaglesham and gave his
name as Alfred Horn, a friend of the Duke. Hess was taken to hospital for
injuries sustained during his landing, the Duke was informed of the prisoner
and visited him. Hess revealed who he was and why he’d come to Scotland. The
Duke, also a keen airman, flew himself to London and informed Winston
Churchill.
Hess
was imprisoned by the British authorities until the end of the war and
sentenced to life imprisonment at the Nuremberg trials. He spent the rest of
his time in Spandau Prison and apparently committed suicide at the age of 93 in
1987.
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