Mrs Petrova's Shoe

Two men are holding a woman between them in a firm grip. In one hand she is carrying her handbag; the other she places on her heart. The man on her right stares into the camera, his colleague stares resolutely ahead. But there is something else, something missing. The despairing woman is wearing only one shoe.

On 19 April 1954 the world was gripped by an unfolding drama at Sydney Airport. A small,...