AmexRuislip
Retired Spy 🕵️♂️
(Could not see a thread on this)
Revolutionarys in Brighton , I would have never guessed
I am very intrigued in this report as I never realised this ever happened.
Argus reporting this:
The Battle of Lewes Road, which took place 90 years ago, quickly gained two different places in Brighton mythology.
For those on the Right, it represented a successful attempt to reduce the power of revolutionary forces in the town.
For Left-wingers and trades unionists, it was a story of heroism in protecting ordinary working people against overwhelming odds.
The truth, as so often, lay rather in-between these two versions and was considerably more prosaic. Noone died and few people were seriously injured.It happened during the 1926 General Strike which was supported by many more people in Brighton than anywhere else along the south coast.
The strike was called by the TUC to support miners who were being told their hours were being lengthened and their pay cut.
Brighton Council, Conservative-controlled like the national Government, was nervous about the strike and its implications. Some feared a breakdown in law and order.
The main effect of the strike locally was on transport. In particular, pickets prevented trams from leaving their depot in Lewes Road.
Rumours spread around the town that a determined attempt would be made to break the strike by groups including students, special constables, farmers and local businessmen.They proved to be correct.
About 2,000 marchers, headed by a brass band, went to the town hall in a vain bid to stop councillors supporting the strike breakers.
Their numbers were doubled by the time they went to the tram depot and blocked the entrance. Police had by this time asked for reinforcements including special constables on horses.
It was said that the celebrity hotelier Sir Harry Preston was a special but there is no definite proof that he was ever seen in the fray.
Chief Constable CharlesGriffin gave the order to charge after the crowd ignored his order to disperse and the battle began. There was some fierce fighting but the casualty rate was remarkably low.
Some trams did make it out of the depot but not before they were damaged by the protestors. Fighting ended as the protesters were driven back by the police.Twenty two arrests were made and when the strikers appeared in court next day. 17 were sentenced to hard labour, a remarkably severe punishment.
Many figures of authority including the special constables cocked a snook at the strikers by holding a celebratory dinner soon afterwards.
The Battle of LewesRoad caused resentment lasting several decades between most working men and the police.
But even more disappointing was the decision next day in London by the TUC to end the General Strike. Those hoping for a revolution were to be seriously disappointed.
Brighton remained a rather radical town for many years after the 1926 siege and the TradesCouncil boasted a membership of 15,000 well after the Second World War.
It also took almost40 years for a Labour MP to be elected in Brighton and 60 for there to be a Labour council.
By that time, much of Brighton’s industry had gone and union membership had consequentially declined. The Battle of Lewes Road became a distant memory.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/magazine/nostalgia/14749264.Nostalgia__The_battle_of_Lewes_Road/?ref=rss
Revolutionarys in Brighton , I would have never guessed
I am very intrigued in this report as I never realised this ever happened.
Argus reporting this:
The Battle of Lewes Road, which took place 90 years ago, quickly gained two different places in Brighton mythology.
For those on the Right, it represented a successful attempt to reduce the power of revolutionary forces in the town.
For Left-wingers and trades unionists, it was a story of heroism in protecting ordinary working people against overwhelming odds.
The truth, as so often, lay rather in-between these two versions and was considerably more prosaic. Noone died and few people were seriously injured.It happened during the 1926 General Strike which was supported by many more people in Brighton than anywhere else along the south coast.
The strike was called by the TUC to support miners who were being told their hours were being lengthened and their pay cut.
Brighton Council, Conservative-controlled like the national Government, was nervous about the strike and its implications. Some feared a breakdown in law and order.
The main effect of the strike locally was on transport. In particular, pickets prevented trams from leaving their depot in Lewes Road.
Rumours spread around the town that a determined attempt would be made to break the strike by groups including students, special constables, farmers and local businessmen.They proved to be correct.
About 2,000 marchers, headed by a brass band, went to the town hall in a vain bid to stop councillors supporting the strike breakers.
Their numbers were doubled by the time they went to the tram depot and blocked the entrance. Police had by this time asked for reinforcements including special constables on horses.
It was said that the celebrity hotelier Sir Harry Preston was a special but there is no definite proof that he was ever seen in the fray.
Chief Constable CharlesGriffin gave the order to charge after the crowd ignored his order to disperse and the battle began. There was some fierce fighting but the casualty rate was remarkably low.
Some trams did make it out of the depot but not before they were damaged by the protestors. Fighting ended as the protesters were driven back by the police.Twenty two arrests were made and when the strikers appeared in court next day. 17 were sentenced to hard labour, a remarkably severe punishment.
Many figures of authority including the special constables cocked a snook at the strikers by holding a celebratory dinner soon afterwards.
The Battle of LewesRoad caused resentment lasting several decades between most working men and the police.
But even more disappointing was the decision next day in London by the TUC to end the General Strike. Those hoping for a revolution were to be seriously disappointed.
Brighton remained a rather radical town for many years after the 1926 siege and the TradesCouncil boasted a membership of 15,000 well after the Second World War.
It also took almost40 years for a Labour MP to be elected in Brighton and 60 for there to be a Labour council.
By that time, much of Brighton’s industry had gone and union membership had consequentially declined. The Battle of Lewes Road became a distant memory.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/magazine/nostalgia/14749264.Nostalgia__The_battle_of_Lewes_Road/?ref=rss
