Epsom riot.
The Epsom riot took place on 17 June 1919 when between 300 and 800 soldiers of the Canadian Army rioted and attacked the police station in Epsom in Surrey, England. With the First World War over, discipline at Canadian camps was relaxed. Delays in repatriation caused discontent among Canadian troops. The riot began when two Canadian servicemen were arrested following a disturbance at a local public house. Their comrades marched on the town police station to demand their release. In the ensuing fighting, Private Allan McMaster, a former blacksmith, picked up a metal bar and struck Station Sergeant Thomas Green (pictured), a British police officer, on the head. Green died the following day. Several men, including McMaster, appeared in court, were found guilty of rioting but acquitted of manslaughter, and served several months in prison. Ten years after returning to Canada, McMaster confessed to the killing. As he had already been found not guilty of manslaughter, he was not returned to the UK.
