Tuesday 5 July 2016

No apology to fans

With so many currently wanting to return to the past, it’s worth bearing in mind that it wasn’t the trouble-free paradise we imagine.

I’ve two great examples from 1951. The first is an illustration that football hooliganism is nothing new.

No apology to fans, says councillor
Stirling Albion Supporters' Association have protested to Stirling Town Council against Treasurer Duncan's "Glasgow keelie's" speech. This was made at the Council when a request was considered from Stirling Albion for the free use of the Albert Hall for Jock Whiteford's benefit game dance.

At last night's Town Council a letter from Mr J. S. Robb, supporters' secretary, stated that Treasurer Duncan owed the sporting public of Glasgow an apology, and he hoped it would be forthcoming.

But the apology was not forthcoming.

Treasurer Duncan quoted week-end scenes at Petershill Park, and added: —"I think that is a fairly good reply to the request contained in this letter."

As a citizen of Glasgow he had no umbrage of the Glasgow people, nor was he against all football supporters, but there were thousands of these supporters who could be regarded only as hooligans.

"Until it is unnecessary in Fife and other districts to close bars, or place an embargo on the sale of bottled beer until these sports are out of the town, I don't propose to apologise," said the Treasurer.
Dundee Courier - Tuesday 22 May 1951, page 2.

Clearly they had to restrict the sale of alcohol to prevent trouble. And the article even uses the word hooligan. I wonder when that was first used to describe disturbances at football matches? My guess would be pre-WW II.

The next example is just of simple theft. But carried out by quite a large group of brewery employees. The bench despaired of the decline in British morals:

“SEEING TOO MUCH OF THIS TO-DAY”
TEN employees of the Kemp Town Brewery, Brighton, who pleaded guilty at Brighton to-day to stealing bottled beer valued at £45 from their employers, were told by the chairman. Mr. H. W. Aldrich; "You stand convicted of a carefully-premeditated and long-continued fraud, and you make a lamentable spectacle.

"You provide evidence of which we are seeing too much to-day — of the gradual deterioration of national character and the lowering of moral standards. It is a deplorable thing for men, all of you with good service records, to prostitute those records and indulge in wholesale robbery of this kind."

One man was sent to prison for six months and another for three months and three were fined £20. two £15. and three £10.”
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Monday 10 September 1951, page 1.

It seems that it wasn’t just draymen with their hands in the till. Six months inside does seem a bit harsh, mind.

I’ll leave you with some Kemp Town beers:

Kemp Town beers 1926 - 1960
Year Beer Style Price per pint package OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation
1926 L.A. Mild 4d draught 1031 1006.6 3.17 78.71%
1926 Double Stout Stout 5d bottled 1055.3 1014.1 5.36 74.50%
1926 Dolphin Pale Ale Pale Ale 10.5d bottled 1032.8 1005.1 3.60 84.45%
1926 Dolphin No. 1 Strong Ale 11d bottled 1059 1015.4 5.67 73.90%
1926 Dolphin Stout Stout 11.25d bottled 1037.9 1008.4 3.83 77.84%
1930 L.A. Mild 4d draught 1034 1006.7 3.55 80.29%
1930 No. 1 Brown Brown Ale 11d bottled 1057.4 1014.3 5.61 75.09%
1939 Milk Stout Stout 9d bottled 1046.8 1015.7 4.02 66.45%
1956 Double Dolphin Ale Brown Ale 28 bottled 1043.6 1013.8 3.86 68.35%
1960 Bitter Pale Ale 12d draught 1031.5 1004 3.44 87.30%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.

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