Sheffield Gang Wars

[Erin]

The above was taken from the history of Armley prison. Their version of events may be different, or maybe in the 1920s they were trying to use scare tactics on the other gang members.

[Floridablade]

An ex-policeman worked as a storeman at the Signals TA centre on Barnsley Rd in 1958. He was a bit of a bruiser and told me of the way they broke up the gangs. Simple really they took each member one at a time , gave him a good hiding and that particular gentleman decided violence is not for him anymore.

[Fareast]

FloridaBlade:-

 

Please, Please ! Don't upset a lot of people in Sheffield by even suggesting that any kind of violence might work against criminal violence ! Oh dear, oh my God, my legs have gone weak.

 

Just because it worked in Sheffield [ and other places ] it doesn't mean it would work now.We know that when the Sheffield police got tough and remained tough we had the safest city and very low crime figures for the next 40 odd years.

 

Now, it's very different, of course. Our Youf might well have a nervous breakdown if they are shouted at or chastised. Tut tut, what are you suggesting ! We must counsel them and have a nice chat and a cup of tea and tell them firmly but kindly that they musn't misbehave. Some of them are very naughty-----chivving, stabbing, shooting and stomping each other.

 

No, we must investigate these matters thoroughly-----maybe a government enquiry ?....but please no short, sharp shocks. It's very upsetting to some of us to even think about our Youf being upset and hurt for just messing about a bit. Weren't we all young once ?

[dandie]

hi

my grandad was involved in the princess street murder his name was george wills and he served 10 years for manslaughter for this crime.

I have only just found this site and was interested to find out more about the gang wars and wondered if george wills would be mentioned.

My husband grandad was also george wills who was involved in this crime, you must be related. My husband said he had never heard his grandad ever talk about that period of his life. Although I never knew him well, I remember him as a very nice quiet man who loved his family very much.

[brian1941]

I'm a writer currently working on a play for the Crucible Theatre, based loosely on the Sheffield Gang Wars.

 

My play deals with the Fowler Brothers, who were part of Sam Garvin's Park Brigade mob, and sentenced to death for the murder of ex-serviceman William Francis Plommer on Princess Street. The murder took place on the night following Sheff Utd's victory over Cardiff in the 1925 FA Cup final.

 

Whether the Fowlers were guilty, or just scapegoats, is still debateable.

 

Does anyone have any - or knows of any stories about that time -not just the Gang Wars, but ordinary life in the slums back then?

i have a picture on my wall, about the sheffield gang wars. two fowlers. wilfred fowler hanged for murder 3rd sep, 1925.

lawrence fowler hanged for murder 4th sept 1925.

maybe some more info ?

[fleetwood]

The book that I read, I think was by Percy Shillito who I believed was eventually knighted. This book is probably out of print, but any library should be able to aquire this on inter library loans for patrons, its my understanding this book was considered a "how too in fighting crime" and only available from learning institutions i.e. Colleges and University librarys. I assume Sir Percy's rank had been Chief Constable in Glasgow and Sheffield (if thats the highest police rank) Again its my understanding that he had been in colonial Africa in a similiar capacity and thats where he had come from. The story goes that he hired these six large policemen that they called "The Flying Squad" maybe these guys were given special rules (although I'm sure unwritten) to dish it out anyway they saw fit,and that they did. And the rest is history as they say. My dad lived in a back to back house near Bramall Lane, he remembered one time there was a shout 'the Mooneys are coming, the Mooneys are coming', you could hear doors being locked all down the lane, but somebody got a dustbin through the window, apparently they got the wrong house this particular time and they paid for the damage. I seem to remember a passage in the book where Shillito is interrogating one of the main gang members and talking to him like a father might, anyway he had the guy crying. Theres one little sad event that took place, this had nothing to do with any of the preceeding event, according to my father when he was a boy, he had a friend who worked after school at a greegrocers shop, it had a large display of vegetables outside in front of the shop, anyway the lad was attending and standing next to the stall, one of the 'Flying Squad" officers came up to the lad and asked him 'what he was doing" the lad was very shy and did"nt answer or did"nt answer fast enough, the cop who had hands like shanks of ham lashed out and hit the lad around the head and face knocking him flying, still the lad who was hurt did"nt say anythig, only when the shopkeeper came out and intervened did the policeman realise what he had done. He told the lad he was sorry many times over, my father said his friend had the welts on his face for a long time.

[clairie]

My Great Great Uncles were the Fowler Brothers who were Hung!. It has always been a bit of a taboo subject as the family feel strongly that they were hung to set an example. They were the younger members of the gang & being brothers the impact would be strong & as a result stop gangs ruling the streets of Sheffield & it worked, but a high price was paid by the two young brothers & their family

 

Was This acceptable?

 

In my opinion NO!

[okismoki]

My Great Great Uncles were the Fowler Brothers who were Hung!. It has always been a bit of a taboo subject as the family feel strongly that they were hung to set an example. They were the younger members of the gang & being brothers the impact would be strong & as a result stop gangs ruling the streets of Sheffield & it worked, but a high price was paid by the two young brothers & their family

 

Was This acceptable?

 

In my opinion NO!

the general opinion of a lot of sheffielders who lived at this time was that the fowlers were innocent,although there at the time,it wasn,t them that dealt the fatal blow,and as you say,were made an example of by the justice system of the time.im really surprised that through the years,no attempt has been made to clear the brothers,or even try to find out who was really guilty. now THAT would make an interesting tv programme.

[kitty123]

Just been reading this thread after a search on the net, we are having some building work done in our house and uncovered a newspaper in an old fireplace with 'MOONEY' on the top! I checked the land registry for my house and in 1955 Frank and Winifred Mooney lived in my house are they related to this gang? Does anyone know of them?

[Texas]

The book that I read, I think was by Percy Shillito who I believed was eventually knighted. This book is probably out of print, but any library should be able to aquire this on inter library loans for patrons, its my understanding this book was considered a "how too in fighting crime" and only available from learning institutions i.e. Colleges and University librarys. I assume Sir Percy's rank had been Chief Constable in Glasgow and Sheffield (if thats the highest police rank) Again its my understanding that he had been in colonial Africa in a similiar capacity and thats where he had come from. The story goes that he hired these six large policemen that they called "The Flying Squad" maybe these guys were given special rules (although I'm sure unwritten) to dish it out anyway they saw fit,and that they did. And the rest is history as they say. My dad lived in a back to back house near Bramall Lane, he remembered one time there was a shout 'the Mooneys are coming, the Mooneys are coming', you could hear doors being locked all down the lane, but somebody got a dustbin through the window, apparently they got the wrong house this particular time and they paid for the damage. I seem to remember a passage in the book where Shillito is interrogating one of the main gang members and talking to him like a father might, anyway he had the guy crying. Theres one little sad event that took place, this had nothing to do with any of the preceeding event, according to my father when he was a boy, he had a friend who worked after school at a greegrocers shop, it had a large display of vegetables outside in front of the shop, anyway the lad was attending and standing next to the stall, one of the 'Flying Squad" officers came up to the lad and asked him 'what he was doing" the lad was very shy and did"nt answer or did"nt answer fast enough, the cop who had hands like shanks of ham lashed out and hit the lad around the head and face knocking him flying, still the lad who was hurt did"nt say anythig, only when the shopkeeper came out and intervened did the policeman realise what he had done. He told the lad he was sorry many times over, my father said his friend had the welts on his face for a long time.

I always understood that the six officers were called 'The Big Six'.