Andrew G.Ralston (2017) The Real Taggarts: Glasgow’s Post-War Crimebusters.

Andrew G.Ralston is hooking a ride on one of Scottish television’s most successful cop shows: Taggart. There’s a big kick and lick of the McIlvanney and Laidlaw on which Taggart is based, the idea of the outsider and insider that contacts investigations in his own way—and comes up trumps every time. Everyone in Glasgow was an extra in Taggart. I got paid for it, so I saw lead actor Mick McManus in action, but I was more interested in the free canteen.

Taggart, like everything else, fades. Hitching your horse to such a character comes from a time when horses were still used. Some of these detectives grew up in the 19^th century. Most came of age in the 20^th century. Forensics was basic fingerprints (and toe prints).

Glasgow as one of the fastest growing cities in Europe and, with its tenements,  was also one of the most overcrowded. Unimaginable poverty. Children going barefoot and with rickets. This was the real crime. Each Detective Chief Superintendent of the CID took the long route to the top. Beat cops. Five years on the beat before being allowed to apply for the positon of Sergeant. Each of them were firm believers in corporal punishment, the efficacy of longer sentences, bringing back the birch and hanging. Deterrents that worked.

Only they didn’t. Or don’t. And never have.

Psychiatrists were fair game. The lowest form of medicine. One that gave alibis to killers. That was their thinking.  

I had to limit myself to a few cases. Most of them blurred. Peter Manuel stood out as did Bible John. Read on.

Notes

1. A Shadowy Cesspool of Crime

Provides historical context: Glasgow’s reputation for violent crime, the challenges faced by detectives, and the social conditions that shaped policing.

2. 500 Pairs of Eyes (25 000 crimes committed and growing numbers, with no end in sight)

Post-war policing. Focuses on surveillance, informants, and the intelligence networks Glasgow detectives relied on. Likely highlights early post‑war CID methods.

3. “The Big Fella” William Ewing, CID chief 1937-51.

Profiles a physically imposing or dominant detective figure. This chapter typically introduces one of the force’s most memorable personalities.

4. The Cop Killer and the Killer Cop. John Caldwell (1946) and James Robertson (1950).

A dual‑case chapter:

• A case involving the murder of a police officer.
• A case involving a police officer who killed.
  Explores moral complexity and public reaction.

5. The Quiet Man (1951-1957)

Covers Gilbert McIlwrick, the “Quiet Man of the Force,” known for handling five murders and a major bank robbery in a single week.

6. Too Young to Hang

Centres on a young offender whose case intersected with debates around capital punishment.

 

7. Crime Takes No Holiday

A set of cases occurring during holiday periods—demonstrating that crime spikes or continues even when the city is “off duty.”

 

8. “Life Begins at Midnight” CID Chief Robert V.Colquhoun 1957-60.

Focuses on night‑shift policing and cases that unfolded in the late hours, when Glasgow’s nightlife and criminal underworld were most active.

9. The Man Who Caught Manuel. Superintendent Alex Brown, Deputy CID Chief 1957-1959.

Profiles the detective responsible for capturing Peter Manuel, one of Scotland’s most notorious serial killers.

10. Men or Monsters? Male Killers—Female Victims 1957-60 (1960—2026…)?

Examines cases involving extreme violence or offenders whose actions challenged detectives’ understanding of motive and morality.

 

11. The Patient and Perceptive Golfer

Profiles a detective known for patience, observation, and methodical case‑building—possibly using golf as a metaphor for his investigative style.

 

12. The Almost Perfect Crime, Shettleston Bank Raid 1959.

Covers a case that nearly escaped detection—an investigation where only a small detail or stroke of insight cracked it open.

13. Glasgow’s Maigret

Centres on Tom Goodall (CID Chief 1963-69) nicknamed “Glasgow’s Maigret,” who battled an unprecedented rise in violent crime and secured convictions against multiple killers.

 

14. The Student of Human Nature, Detective Superintendent Joe Beattie 1969—73.

Profiles a detective skilled in reading people—interrogation, psychology, and behavioural insight.

15. Young John and the Toeprint Man

A forensic‑driven chapter: a detective (“Young John”) solves a case using toeprint evidence, highlighting early forensic innovation.

16. End of an Era. Strathclyde Police (1973)> Police Scotland.

Reflects on the transition from old‑school policing to modern methods, marking the end of the period the book covers.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CVBVVGD6