Sir Basil Henriques speaks at Hobbs Hall, Disgraceful Events - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm

 THE HOBBS END GAZETTE

Sir Basil Henriques speaks at Hobbs Hall - Disgraceful Events

After Hobbs Hall was denied to the BUF over safety requirements, Jewish philanthropist Sir Basil Henriques graced us with a talk on his great works amongst the Whitechapel poor.

He spoke at length about his experiences as one of the first Tank officers in the Great War, his work in Berner Street and the rising tide of anti Semitism in the East End, particularly the violence of the Fascists.

For weeks on end, he said, men have proclaimed through loudspeakers at street corners that Jews are vile, despicable, devoid of all virtue, untouchable. Verbal bullying has turned into physical bullying, pulling old men's beards, beating children and breaking windows. (1)

He said that amongst Jewish children playing in the streets the game of Bandits has been replaced by Blackshirts and Jews, one little boy declaring angrily that he had been the Blackshirt last time and he wanted to be a Jew again!! (uneasy laughs). Gentile children have even asked to change schools to stay away from Jewish children (silence). (2)

The Bernhard Baron Settlement, Berner Street.

Amongst the young men at his settlement there is a consensus that they have to join the Communist Party (CP) (cheers from the back of the hall) because they are the only ones challenging the Fascists on the streets, he also tells us that they don't necessarily agree with Communist policy, in fact several are against it, but the CP are the only safe house in the district. He said that he was personally against the CP and he thought they were just as thuggish as the Fascists (unsettling murmurs from the back of the hall). (3)

He closed his speech by asking if anyone in the audience was also running similar youth facilities and would they be interested in visiting his Berner Street location to play games or sports, several voices were raised to the affirmative, however, several more from the back of the hall declared that Sir Basil had better watch his back on his way home, a veiled threat or a warning that the BUF were demonstrating outside?

Across the road from Hobbs Hall a band of Blackshirts were indeed selling newspapers and booklets to passers by, as the crowd exited Hobbs Hall several calls of "shame" and "black rats" were heard but when the Communists came out the situation changed dramatically.

 

Already prickly from Sir Basil's talk, they were ready to vent their anger and the Blackshirts were a gift, notwithstanding several Police officers in attendance the Communists pressed home their attack.

The Police were quickly on the scene and prevented what would have been a nasty fight, the BUF stall was overturned and one Communist received a nasty blow to the head. The Police were reluctant to arrest anyone as they didn't want to inflame the situation, the Communists were soon moved on. The Communists retired shouting accusations that the Police and the Blackshirts were in league with each other, the Police were not happy with this outcome. The Blackshirts stayed at their pitch for another hour or so then decided to call it a day and moved off towards their HQ in Cromwell Lane. 

Smarting and frustrated the Communists rallied for another attack on the Blackshirts, massing in the High Street they made towards Cromwell Lane and followed the Blackshirts into the back street, here there would be no Police interference, at least not until they had got vengeance.

 

To attack the BUF in Cromwell Lane is very foolhardy, this is where their HQ is and most of the lane is either Fascist or sympathetic to them, Cromwell Lane in fact vias with Duckett Street as the most Fascist street in East London. The Communists soon crashed into the receding Blackshirts and a fight begins immediately,  at the BUF HQ the Defence Force was springing into action.

The attack was a complete failure, now outnumbered and out fought the Communists gathered their wounded and backed away, two of their number taking to their heels and disappearing into streets.

 

 

This has unfortunately emboldened the BUF, they have promised more meetings outside Hobbs Hall, their spokesman said "if the council won't let us within then we will be heard without, we will not be silenced!" The local Communist Party newspaper printed a rather amusing cartoon in reply, we re-print it here.

(1) Sir Basil Henriques; The Indiscretions Of A Warden, Methuen 1937 page 96

(2) Sir Basil Henriques; The Indiscretions Of A Warden, Methuen 1937 page 98

(3) Sir Basil Henriques; The Indiscretions Of A Warden, Methuen 1937 page 96

Mosley Speaks in Hobbs Park, Dreadful Scenes - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm

 THE HOBBS END GAZETTE

A MOSLEY MEETING AND DREADFUL SCENES.

CHAOS AND DISORDER IN HOBBS PARK.

The Fascists marched from their headquarters to the park in good order, many people came out to watch the spectacle and the Police were there to make sure order prevailed. Sir Oswald Mosley marched with his men behind the Fascist flags.

Marching two abreast and followed by their propaganda and Fascist Defence Force vans the procession snaked its way past Hobbs End Town Hall and up Park Road to its final destination.

 

In the High Street a counter demonstration by the Communist Party was forming, falling in behind their vehicle were many of the areas toughest fighters, well known to the Police of this district, and they were itching to get amongst the Blackshirts.

At the park entrance Sir Oswald was confronted by the Reverend Harris who asked even at this late stage to cancel the meeting and march back to their headquarters in the name of peace, Sir Oswald declined saying he was here to spread the Fascist creed to the people of Hobbs End and no one was going to silence him. Meanwhile in the High Street tensions were rising.

The BUF meeting began with a warm up speech by Billy Boyce (one of Mosley's inner circle cronies), he is a short stocky man with a rather striking blemish on his right cheek. He spoke about International Finance and the dangers of Communism, it seemed to me that most of the locals were there just for the shear novelty of it all rather than any deep seated interest in what he was saying, but Fascist newspaper sellers were doing a brisk trade. On station Road Police reinforcements were arriving and the Communists were allowed to demonstrate outside the Town Hall.

Some of the Communists chose to use the alleyways to come out onto Station Road closer to the park and from the park some Blackshirts emerged to stir up trouble shouting obscenities.

As the Communist rally was getting warmer, in the park Billy Boyce was coming to the end of his tirade, a last ditch attempt, this time by the assistant Commissioner of Police, utterly failed, Mosley was having none if it, speak he would, consequences be damned!

As negotiations broke down with the BUF the Reverend Harris and the Police tried to talk the Communists down, but with Mosley about to speak and the crowd shouting out M.O.S.L.E.Y MOSLEY at a very annoying volume their breath was wasted, with nervous looks on their faces the Police waited for the inevitable.

It all happened quite suddenly, the sound of Mosleys voice on the loud speaker system galvanised the opposition, forming a "flying wedge" and rushing forwards the thin blue line was bent but not yet broken, attacking both park entrances at the same time the onslaught was almost too much for the Police to handle.

Communist fighters soon broke through and fought with Blackshirts, the Police were doing their best against the odds, but very soon the mounted Police made their presence felt with batons drawn.

 

Calling down from the van Mosley encouraged his men to stand fast, fighting now on two fronts the Blackshirts took early casualties but their numbers were bigger, on the streets outside the Police still had their hands full. With shouts of "down with Fascism", "down with Mosley" and just "get him!" the Communists fought on, some freeing themselves from the clutches of the Police and running towards the park to join their brothers.

The Police having gained the upper hand on the streets were now forming up their mounted division to baton charge the park, meanwhile fighting in the park was vicious. The Communists now had their eyes on the prize,  to knock Mosley off his perch.

The Blackshirts were doing a good job of holding the Park Road entrance but the Station Road invaders were now dangerously close to unseating Mosley, directing his men like a general Mosley was now hoping to see the blue uniforms riding to his rescue!

With the baton charge gaining speed on Park Road and the fighting on that entrance becoming bloodier and bloodier Mosley's position was becoming desperate, his Blackshirts were fighting hard but the opposition was fighting harder. With all hopes of a speech now gone he braced himself for a fight.

At last the baton charge hit, heads were knocked, bodies tumbled and the mounted Police crashed into the park. This was the final straw for the Communists at the Park Road entrance, they broke and fled. For those remaining on the other side near Mosley's van the fight continued with one man climbing up and attacking Mosley.

It would seem the the arrival of the mounted Police saved Mosley, but he actually put up a decent fight, the chap he was fighting was quickly arrested and the meeting came to an inglorious end.

The whole situation was soon taken in hand by the Police, Mosley was told to vacate the park, a battered, bloodied and bruised BUF column formed up and marched back to their HQ. At the end of the day 11 were arrested and 21 were hospitalised, 4 of them were Policemen, 8 Blackshirts and 9 Communists. This was the most disgraceful day in Hobbs End recent history, I sincerely hope this situation does not get worse, however,  Mosley has vowed to return.

 

Taken from the Hobbs End Communist Party newspaper