Fascist and Communist violence plagues Hobbs End - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm

 HOBBS END GAZETTE - SPECIAL EDITION.

This nonsense has to stop before someone is killed!

Last Saturday afternoon two rival political meetings were held at either end of Drovers Road, at one end the British Union of Fascists and at the other outside the factory gates were the Communist Party of Great Britain. Our readers will know that a few weeks ago the Fascists were quite severely beaten at this location, tensions have been high since.

At the termination of the Fascist meeting the Blackshirts formed up to march up Drovers Road past the Communists, the mounted policeman thought this was a bad idea and tried to dissuade them. Meanwhile a Fascist Defence Force van was just turning into Drovers Road from the High Street.

The other two mounted policemen who were watching the Communists now joined their colleague in trying to stop the Fascist march. The Fascist van quickly parked up and in an astonishing (we say astonishing because it actually worked!) display of misdirection the Fascists actually drew the police away from a vicious assault right under their noses. 

 While the police were in a state of confusion the Fascist marchers ran to the fray to back up their comrades, taken by surprise the Communists gave a good account of themselves but they were outnumbered, soon police reinforcements were on their way.

More Fascist tricks! The police car is blocked by the Fascist marchers who are still demanding to anyone who will listen that it is their right to march. While this is going on the Communists are starting to get a battering, but help is on it's way, with the threat of a night in the cells the Fascists finally get out of the way.

At some point in the struggle the Communist lorry caught fire, fingers have been pointed and accusations have flown from both sides, but in the confusion of flame and casualties the Fascists slipped away. Feeling smug and not a little bewildered that they actually managed to pull this attack off the Fascists were ready to exploit their enemy's misfortune and organise more meetings.

A few days later the Fascists were out in force selling their newspapers in Station Road and using the Drovers Road factory gates spot for a meeting, in Hobbs Park the Communists were getting fired up, which didn't take long as they were very annoyed anyway.

Luckily the damage to the Communist lorry was minimal and it was soon back in service, never believing it would work again, the Communists decided to use the diversion tactic the Fascists had recently used and they engaged the one policeman in conversation. Meanwhile, the newspaper sellers were about to get the shock of their lives.

With the fighting getting rather brutal young Betty is sent through the arches into Drovers Road to grab some reinforcements. From the park some Communist reinforcements are already approaching the scene.

The Fascists are now hopelessly outnumbered but fighting on, word has got back to the police station in Drovers Yard and a mounted section are on their way, eventually Fascist reinforcements arrive.

 With the police nearing the fighting got more intense, by the time the police arrived four Blackshirts had been knocked out. Not wanting to get arrested fighting stopped as soon as the police arrived and an ambulance was called. The four Blackshirts were taken to hospital and neither side pressed any charges against each other. Once the Communists were escorted away the Blackshirts were allowed to return to their headquarters.

Blackshirt meeting ends in violence - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm

    Blackshirt meeting attacked in Drovers Road.

A meeting by the BUF was broken up by an orchestrated attack by Communists, the meeting began at half past eight on Thursday night in Drovers Road.

Just out of sight the gang of Communists gathered and the plan of action was finalised. 

BUF speaker, Mr Hargreaves, had attracted a small audience and was just getting into his stride, after around five minutes, when a group of men were seen coming towards them. 

The fighting was short and brutal, two Blackshirts were knocked down and Mr Hargreaves received a bloody nose, after which he retreated down the road. The brunt of the fighting now fell to two Fascists who, although outnumbered, bravely took on their adversaries.

Soon two mounted police officers arrived and immediately felled one of the Communists with a crack on the head. Three of the Communists pursued Mr Hargreaves down Drovers Road, the police were too late to rescue him.

Hargreaves received another punch and was knocked unconscious with a club, at the scene of the fight a police car arrived and the Communists scattered, the mounted officers then charged down Drovers Road in pursuit of the other three.

 The wounded Blackshirts received first aid while the injured Communist was arrested, meanwhile the other three Communists disappeared down the alleyways and were searched for in vain by the police.

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