The Young 'Uns have been on Cerys this morning talking about their new record about the tale of a 15-year-old lad, Johnny Longstaff, who left Stockton-On-Tees in the 1930s on a hunger march and then headed for the Spanish Civil War. Fascinating stuff, I have to say, chronicling his story. Here's a link to their website.
-
-
I suppose the Clash's appropriation of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" in English Civil War is not wholly removed, inadvertently, from the Young 'Uns purpose here.Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post
Yes - this is very interesting for which many thanks. It puts me in mind of the late 1970s and the 1980s : Lindisfarne's Marshall Riley's Army, Spanish Bombs by The Clash, various songs by The Men They Couldn't Hang including The Ghosts of Cable Street. I was very close to that entire strand during that period and as indicated it even joined up genres in an unexpected way which added to its appeal. More of these historical references in music would be welcome today.
At the axis of, say, 1977-1989, I was in York and of all my memories on the 1983 election trail, it is one conversation that stands out. The one with a man from the North East on a council estate in which he movingly eulogised Ellen Wilkinson. The Miners' Strike of the 1980s also coincided with those times. In the South, Scargill was often not liked but more interesting to me in terms of the broader history was that my family were in Southwark during the 1930s.
My mother had tremendous recall. And yet while she remembers Mosley, Cable Street was always a total blank to her, both from at six not surprisingly and yet also subsequently. Probably the young were protected from any "vibe". I think too that for some the East End was an embarrassment. Poverty generally was when it was only a borough away or somewhere "foreign" like the Tees and Tyne. It spoke of a lack of order. Conflict. And quite possibly another war.Last edited by Lat-Literal; 07-01-19, 17:48. -
My father's family were mostly in or from the East End. The family always referred to Cable Street as the occasion where, having had enough of the Blackshirts or their ilk "the dockers sorted them out".
I've no idea whether that view is based on objective fact....Last edited by Cockney Sparrow; 07-01-19, 20:04.Comment
-
The Men They Couldn’t Hang, among their magnificent back catalogue, have a song called “ The Ghosts of Cable Street”, which has proved to be one of their best loved efforts.
Well worth a listen or two.
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
I am not a number, I am a free man.Comment
-
Thank you.Originally posted by Cockney Sparrow View Post
It is worth highlighting here that the Young 'Uns "Cable Street" is on "Strangers" here:
From the BBC: "Cable Street: 'Solidarity stopped Mosley's fascists'"
"Bernard Kops was a young boy of 10 when Mosley and his supporters decided the best way of demonstrating their potency was to march through the heart of London's Jewish community in Cable Street on 4 October 1936. He says: "Of course, when Cable Street came along the Irish labourers and dockers came out and it was them that really made sure Mosley didn't get through.""
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15171772
I've just realised that everything else I cited was from a comedy website so we can forget about it.
Last edited by Lat-Literal; 07-01-19, 19:24.Comment
-
Thanks for all this. I didn't know about Cable Street. If you want to hear the Young 'Uns talking about Johnny, here's the link to Sunday's programme. They were on after the 11.30 news.
Comment
Comment