Tribal Neighbourhoods


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Grew up in Comyn Street during late 40's and into mid 50's and it was the case that you were never fully welcomed on any other street beyond that and the adjoining streets, and if you ventured further afield the locals were not always particularly welcoming. There was general acceptance that everyone had the "right" to be in the town centre, on the Forest, in the Arboretum, down on the embankment etc, but when at home seemed to stay in our own little enclave.

Was this the experence elsewhere in Nottingham, or was it peculiar to St Anne's?

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Speak for yourself Ayeupmeducks! At the moment I still feel like a teenager!! Still love music, although I prefer 60's stuff I enjoy listening to a lot of the more recent artists. Still have good h

After your post Ben I read up the page and came to Margies post from a few years ago...  Margie doing the birdy dance.... now there's a mental picture to treasure!    

#12 poohbear I remember the Arnold and Sherwood 'Rumble' I was there, It was around 1962 rather than the 50s unless there were two Rumbles, when a few friends and me went along with the Arnold lads

Never came across that attitude Commo, I was brought up in the 50's not that far from you, just the other side of St Anns Well Road, went to Blue Bell Hill School and on to Huntingdon Street for my final four years.

My Gran lived in Dane Street and I had an Aunt who I think lived in Comyn Street.

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It's a new one on me as well. It certainly didn't happen on Clifton when I was there in the 60s and 70s.

Kids played around with whoever and wherever; I can remember spending a lot of time on various other roads and there was never the slightest word against any kind of "foreigner" coming in to an area. I don't think the idea ever occurred to anyone.

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We were "The Cavvo road mob" (Cavendish Road upto the top of Worth Street and round Garden City)

This was our 'territory' it also encompassed the area now occupied by the flats to the bottom of the picture, this was a wonderfull 'wasteground' full of 'dens' etc and it was our "Learning Center"

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We often had 'run ins' with the "Walton Crescentites" these were the kids from Walton Crescent /Greenhill Rise, the only time I dared to go into their 'territory' was in the early morning when doing my paper round ...LOL

Although if we were to enter any other area at the same time (IE the cricket field down Burton Road) we'd play together no problems , strange or what !?

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I seem to remember it being more school based where I grew up.

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We all hated school, so that wasn't a problem to us, we'd just argue who went to the worst school trying to outdo others with "our teachers cane us every hour" Nahhh we get it every minute..... Kind of pre Monty Python....LOL

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in netherfield were i grew up in the 50s early 60s we certainly had little areas that were our territory our bit was around the railwy sheds from the second crossing down but of course we all went to the same school and used to all play together there and like beffy when we went burton rd chricket field were kids came from carlton gedling burton joyce stoke as well as nevo and i carnt ever remember ant truble there we all just played together.

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Don't really recall this sort of thing around Arnold when I was younger. Maybe it was a more an inner-city thing? Like Limey I do recall rivalries between schools though. Very strange when you look back - fighting for the 'honour' of your school in mass scraps when you hated the place!

I do recall this sort of thing near where I grew up in Edinburgh and in summer visits to Lanarkshire not ar from Glasgow in school days. Every area generally had it's own gang(s) - pretty tasty too with all kinds of weapons you wouldn't believe in the latter case.

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Arnold and Sherwood lads didn't get on to say the least.An organised 'Rumble' was arranged on Woodthorpe Park in the fifties...unfortunately for Arnold ...Sherwood had many more allies than Arnold lads could come up with, which would have meant a right thrashing for any that turned up.

Around 70 Arnold lads headed for the park on the night,but luckily for them.... and enabling them to save face. A line of Black Marias in Daybrook Square and an Inspector complete with swagger stick made it plain that it would be wiser to turn back....which they did...I suspect with many a sigh of relief.

Strangely, both groups of lads would mix at the Locarno with no hassle whatsoever.

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A guy at school used to sucker punch me almost every day , He would come from behind & hit me in the Guts . Hope you are proud of it....... Brian Bloor.

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The big kids from Frank Wheldon School would come down to Gedling School for a scrap on the last day of term.

The word would go out - "The Frankies are coming down!"

One year the Geddles prepared for the big rumble but nobody turned up. Word had it that it was cos it was raining. kickme

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Probably the year we went to Carlton Le Willows instead !

This actually reminds me of a true story of one such rumble andof a certain lad (No names , no packdrill, let's just call him Bolin Bcothern, or just C S ) Any road up , he was cornered in some garages by a load of "Gedlingites" a few of them held his arms whilst the rest lined up and took turns to punch his face (Well hard those Gedlingites!! ) anyway, somebody had phoned the police who came screaching in with the 'blues and twos' going , the Gedlingites all scrambled over various walls and escaped just leaving poor Colin Scothern sorry Bolin Bcothern in a dazed heap on the deck. He was promptly arrested and charged with affray !!

True tail that, well the lads who told me sware it's true and they reckon they were there.

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The problem being in both cases is that you had to be picked for the Rugby/Shinty team in the first place, (Not condoning this behavior in any way shape or form by the way ... slywink )

The other 270 in your year had to find other ways to vent their spleens, as it were

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I was on Basford Wakes aged about 14...a pal was talking to a Ted who was sat on the lower steps of the Waltzer.Out of nowhere another Ted ran past us and landed a full blooded kick on the first Teds jaw.And I mean a full blooded rugby ball type kick....his jaw was wired for weeks afterwards.

Being younger we weren't involved in the gang thing,they all seemed to be around the 17/20 mark.. A few of the older lads carried razors and knuckle dusters, but I don't remember much in the way of knives.

Some of the areas of Nottingham were certainly rougher than others,but there did seem to be rules of sorts.A group of lads from another area could be asking for trouble if they wandered far from home...but a single lad with a girl seemed to be tolerated.

As I said before there was an uneasy truce in places like the Locarno.Apart from the race riots of the fifties the gangs didn't seem to be race orientated.

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