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He said that amongst Jewish children playing in the streets the game of Bandits has been replaced by Blackshirts and Jews, one little boy declaring angrily that he had been the Blackshirt last time and he wanted to be a Jew again!!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