Communists cry "police brutality", trouble in Wells Street - A Victorian Tabletop Game In 28mm

                           HOBBS END GAZETTE

                                                       Saturday 15th July 1893

                              Trouble in Wells Street, a serious affray.

Ever since the council condemned the row of houses on the west side of Wells Street the Communists  have been agitating for a fairer deal, finally the police got involved, our correspondent investigates.

Last night the Communists were again in Wells Street holding a meeting in the middle of the road and rather conveniently right outside their party headquarters. The speaker, Mr Greeves, was questioning the coincidence that Councillor Johnson's brother in law's company had won the contract to demolish half of the street and also where the residents were going to live as no alternative accomodation was forthcoming.

It would seem that Councillor Johnson doesn't like his name or his business dealings being the subject of street meetings and as he was in the same club as the Chief Commissioner getting the street meetings closed was fairly easy, unfortunately our local police had to carry out their orders to the letter and trouble was inevitable.

Almost immediately one of the Communists was knocked down and so was a policeman, the man who assaulted the constable was a local bruiser called Stebson, who goes under the nickname Gripper, a couple of constables who saw this quickly gave chase.

Diving into an alleyway Stebson turned to face his adversaries, a seasoned jailbird and thug Stebson is also fast and ruthless, one policeman was felled in an instant, his companion fought back but was too slow and he payed the price.

Back in Wells Street the fighting had stopped and two arrests had been made, on orders from above DI Bolton and his detectives entered the Communist HQ and searched it for any seditious material. Three policemen received hospital treatment and nothing of any interest was found.

Planned Communist March is attacked! - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm.

             Trouble in Drovers Road as Communists March

The planned march by the Hobbs End Communist Party almost went off without a hitch, the organisers Harry and Beatrice Smollitt, praised the police for their prompt action. At 10.30 sharp the procession made its way up the High Street with Harry in the back of the lorry.

Moving up the High Street the procession instilled both apathy and curiosity in the passers by and a degree of annoyance in the usual Saturday morning motorists. Soon they appeared in Drovers Road.

It was while the Communists were progressing down Drovers Road that several Blackshirts were noticed loitering at the end of the road.

With very malicious intentions towards the Communist banner the Blackshirts braced themselves for a very uneven fight. Charging forwards the Blackshirts relied on the narrow street and surprise to carry the attack through.

The Communist banner soon went down and so did a Blackshirt! With police and Communists closing in on all sides the Blackshirts were overwhelmed, they were quickly arrested and an ambulance was called for their fallen comrade.

With the Fascist threat taken care of the procession got back on track, at least the folks in the pub had a bit of entertainment and the Magistrate will bring in a bit of revenue when he fines three Blackshirts on Monday.

Fascist Punch Up.....Two Arrested - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm.

                                Hobbs End Gazette - Special Edition

            Violence Erupts After Communist Meeting Ends.

Our reporters were on the scene yesterday when a punch up occured in Hobbs Street, it all began (as it usually does) quietly with passers by listening to the respective speakers.

In Hobbs Park Communist leader Beatrice Smollitt was captivating her audience with a "down with everything" speech, whilst in Hobbs Street BUF speaker Annie Sprockett regaled her audience with a "it's their fault not ours" speech from a loudspeaker van.

The Communist meeting was brought to an end and the small procession made its way up Station Road and onto the High Street followed by the police, several onlookers and our intrepid reporters.

On the corner of Hobbs Street next to The Britannia pub trouble was brewing, the Communist procession was now in view of the Fascist meeting, both speakers Smollitt and Sporckett egged their followers on.

The fighting was short and brutal with one Blackshirt being knocked out and the Communists breaking through before the police could react.

Beatrice Smollitt was told to go away, which she did with young Henry the Daily Worker seller in the van and two Communists were arrested. The two Communists who broke through ran up against young Betty (the BUF newspaper seller) on their way to the alleyways and freedom, she tried her jujitsu moves but was pushed aside, luck was not on her side today!

Back at the Communist HQ in Wells Street Beatrice Smollitt thanked her boys for a grand day out and arranged a whip-round to pay the fines for the missing comrades, back in Hobbs Street new BUF speaker Annie Sprockett was interviewed by the Hobbs End Gazette.

Nothing Bloody Changes! - A Victorian Detective Tabletop Game In 28mm.

 "You know what they say about Hobbs End?" said DI Bolton, "what's that Guv" replied Sergeant Theakston, "nothing bloody changes! Come on, we've got a disturbance outside the town hall, let's see what excuse it is this time for grown men to try and knock each others heads off."

It looks like this mornings entertainment is due to a double booking, the Skeleton Army want the town hall pitch but the Socialists have beaten them to it, the sight of the thin blue line means nothing to either side so the police keep a distance to see how things pan out.

No surprise there really, things get ugly very quickly and the Skeleton Army leader receives a nasty razor cut, DI Bolton is quick off the mark and soon nabbs the razor wielding Socialist.

The police tell both sides to bugger off, which they do, but resentment is simmering. Back at the station Bolton and Theakstone are called out to the Drovers Road doss house, chasing a possible lead to a series of local burglaries.

No sooner do they reach the front of the building they are set upon by two men, seemingly for no reason. The two detectives put up a good fight driving one assailant off, the other is arrested after receiving several whacks to the jaw from Bolton.

The one that got away was recognised as being a particularly violent Socialist thug, could this have been revenge for breaking up their fun this morning outside the town hall? Bolton is sure of it, time to go to Wells Street and confront them!

The Socialists believe that Wells Street is their own little fiefdom, the police believe it is not. Up on his cart Comrade Beron is whipping up a storm against all sorts of things, but mainly the police and in particular DI Bolton. So, speak of the devil and he shall appear! DI Bolton and a couple of constables come marching around the corner much to the amazement of the Socialist congregation.

After accusing the Socialists of conspiring to give him a rotten day DI Bolton becomes the focus of a violent attack and is soon knocked to the ground. From the other end of Wells Street Theakston is closing in with another two constables and they give a good account of themselves.

The Socialists are eventually driven back, many with wounds from truncheon blows, three are arrested and one policeman is taken to hospital after he was felled with an iron bar. With more police arriving and a black mariah for the prisoners the altercation is all but over. More of an exercise in marking his territory than solving crimes Bolton then smashed in the door of the Socialist HQ on the pretext of searching for seditious material, it's doubtful that this feud is over.