Garrison

Here's a Video I put together for the Shed 50, that has never had a public showing -
 

1964/1965 The League Cup.
(Again I was up at Leicester when we won this.)

I'm doing a series of screens to record all the trophies Chelsea have won, starting way back in 1955, and one that I was lucky enough to have been at the ground when we won it. Feel free to use them as screen savers.
 
1954/55 the Division 1 Champions

This photo was taken from the East Stand and looks out onto the crowd that invaded the pitch after the last game of the 1954/55 season, and were awaiting the result of the Man U. game to see if we'd won the League. That's an 8 year old me in the white circle.

LOL No, I was a trainee Manager at the Swiss Cottage branch of Tesco, and when I walked in there on the Tuesday morning the manager was standing there waiting holding up the Daily Mirror, and said "Your Fired!"

I was in the Army from 1966 till 1971, but based in London, after that I went back to DJing, and photography. I did get the sack back in 1964 for being on the front page of the Daily Mirror, but that's another story.

I only got knocked out once, and that was when four of us took on the whole of the Wolves End up there, I tripped up the terrace step, fell over and on getting up all I remember was seeing the front end of a Dr Martin's Boot. Fractured left cheek bone resulted. Got a fractured skull and right wrist, after being attacked from behind with an iron bar at Plymouth away in 1976. Other than that I was lucky and got away with major injuries, mainly because going in hard and fast, put whoever you were attacking on the back foot. Mind you I've never been hit or kicked so many times in one day, as in the CBL, back in 1976, had bruises that lasted weeks after that one. The North Stand were schooled that you always back your own up no matter what, and anyone that ran, was dealt with after the game, the reason we used to attack the police was in order to get back people that were getting nicked.

LOL No, I was a trainee Manager at the Swiss Cottage branch of Tesco, and when I walked in there on the Tuesday morning the manager was standing there waiting holding up the Daily Mirror, and said "Your Fired!"

That's me at 00:43 secs :-) In those days you were normally thrown out and paid to get back in again

Talking about which era was best, I'd say the mid '60's to mid '70's was the best, as we got away with far more, due to lack of camera's and the Filth weren't clued up, plis fines were £5 to £10. wrote this a while ago, about the first classic post war terrace battle . . . 
The
White Heart Lane Massacre 1967

 
         About 50 of North End Road Boys met up at Liverpool Street Station, From there we went by BR and arrived just before 11 O'clock, walking round the corner onto the High Street, we found it deserted so we crossed the road, and went into what is now Valentino's. A lot of us were wearing Tottenham scarves, so we didn't get stopped by the police. In the pub the landlord took us as Spurs fans and served us, then around 11:30, the real Spurs turned up, and we took the scarves off and chanted “Chelsea”, and steamed in; they never knew what hit them. Over the bar, grabbing the optics, they went flying through the windows, tables and chairs were smashed, then the sound of Police cars, so we scampered up the High Street toward Edmonton. Those of us that made it around 20, went into a café, and had dinner.

         Then around 1:30 we strolled down the High Street, now packed with people, we met up with some of those that were in the pub with us, and went in the ground. Once inside we straight away realised we'd got in before the main y*d firm, so we kicked off with those standing on the terrace near the entrance gate behind the goal. Clearing it we waited for the inevitable and it came from behind as the y*ds came onto the terrace from an entrance gate further down. They charged, we stood, and it went toe to toe. More Chelsea arrived to swell our numbers, and we forced the y*ds back towards the other entrance gate. A few of our number were attacking those that tried to come through the gate we were at. One of our number had a wooden mallet, and was knocking y*d's out right left and centre.

         Then the police arrived, and formed a line between the us and the y*d's and started throwing people out, but moments latter they'd reappeared after paying to get back in again. DA reappeared Five times, I myself three times. The fighting continued as more of the Shed arrived to swell our numbers. But the y*d's were also increasing their numbers, and the fighting continued as the teams came out. Then a breakthrough. The y*d's who were down by the pitch wall, were getting battered, and started to climb over the low wall, and onto the pitch. Some of us followed them and the fight continued on the grass behind the goal. Then a few of the y*d's ran, and it lead to a Sheep like stamped. We stood there cheering, but were charged by a group of Filth, so jumped back over the wall, and took a large group of y*d's from the rear, who were fighting the Shed.

         Taken by surprise they started to run. I then noticed that we had cleared the Park Lane End, and it was totally under Chelsea control. We then saw that the ref had taken the players off the pitch, and it was 3:20, when things stared to calm down. But small pockets of y*ds, kept being found and dealt with.

         It was the first time in Post War football history that a kick off was delayed for so long. And when y*d's were seen to be massing on the Shelf we charged them, and the fighting carried on till half time. By now the Filth had grown in number as reserves must have been called up. And they formed a number of human barriers; although fighting erupted a few times more as the Shed cleared the Shelf. The Park Lane Terrace and Shelf were firmly in Chelsea hands and stayed that way for the rest of the game.

         With the game over, we left the ground en mass, and saw a huge mass of y*d's waiting on the High Street. Holding everyone back, till we were all in the street, DA shouted charge. There must have been around 5,000 of us, and we went through the police lines like a knife through butter. Steaming into the waiting y*d's our momentum forced them back across the road, then they started to run.

         As a footnote, the Evening Standard ran a back page story about the riot, and had a photo taken of the fighting from the pitch. And there in the middle was one of the North End Road Boys, in a Stripped T-Shirt, and some old biddy wrote in saying he was the one with the mallet. A few days latter he was arrested and got 6 months.


 

Millwall August 1976, there were three Chelsea firms that went in the CBL that day. we got there before kick off; “E” knickname) from the Shed was with us, we walked along the road outside the CBL, then a Rag & Bone horse and cart slowly walked by, with a tarpaulin over the cart.
I noticed it was moving and stopped everyone, then the tarpaulin was pulled back and (I won’t mention names, but they were six of Wall’s top faces), jumped off shouting “E you’re a dead man”, they were all carrying ice picks, and I looked at “E” and told him to run; he stood, but I knew that if he didn’t run he’d be killed or very badly injured. I shouted “Run!” again, and this time he did. To me when faced with 6 guys all tooled up with Ice picks, and we didn’t carry weapons, there is no shame in legging it.
Then Wall boys gave chase, and we went into the CBL, my firm (The North Stand) got in and just stood there, knowing we were going to get battered. “A” and me decided to take the bull by the horns, so I shouted “We’re The North Stand”, and the rest joined in. We charged, and Wall taken by surprise backed off a bit, but then those at the back steamed down and it went of like crazy.
As the teams came out “B” (nickname) lead the Shed in, at this point we were about in the middle of the CBL, and surrounded, but it quietened down a bit for us, as Wall seeing the Shed, turned to attack them.
The fight was no-stop, and after about 20 minutes, the Shed had been battered and melted, so Wall once again turned their attention to us; the fight was on and off all through the game, and at the end there were just a dozen of us left, in the far corner.
I can say without doubt that that was (apart from every season in the Lezers, and even 10,000 Rangers couldn’t take that end), the worst beating we ever took.
After the game we managed to get out of the ground, and walk hobbling back to the station, when we met “B” “T”, & “G” form Wall, and most of their firm, and the 6 of us North Stand thought “we’re f**ked”, but luck was in for us that day, and they took us to a boozer, where they piled it on thick that they had battered us.
I must add that this only happened because we knew them well, and ran with them, on many occasions, including the Everton Cup game, and they came up to Everton with us, for the away Chelsea game.

1964/1965 The League Cup.
(Again I was up at Leicester when we won this.)

1964/1965 The League Cup.
(Again I was up at Leicester when we won this.)

I'm doing a series of screens to record all the trophies Chelsea have won, starting way back in 1955, and one that I was lucky enough to have been at the ground when we won it. Feel free to use them as screen savers.
 
1954/55 the Division 1 Champions

1964/1965 The League Cup.
(Again I was up at Leicester when we won this.)

I'm doing a series of screens to record all the trophies Chelsea have won, starting way back in 1955, and one that I was lucky enough to have been at the ground when we won it. Feel free to use them as screen savers.
 
1954/55 the Division 1 Champions

#1 Jimmy Greaves
#2 Zola
#3 Kerry Dixon

Just finished colourising "Eccles" 1970

LOL No, I was a trainee Manager at the Swiss Cottage branch of Tesco, and when I walked in there on the Tuesday morning the manager was standing there waiting holding up the Daily Mirror, and said "Your Fired!"

Ah the Walking Sticks Semi, that was a classic game!

I was in the Army from 1966 till 1971, but based in London, after that I went back to DJing, and photography. I did get the sack back in 1964 for being on the front page of the Daily Mirror, but that's another story.

I only got knocked out once, and that was when four of us took on the whole of the Wolves End up there, I tripped up the terrace step, fell over and on getting up all I remember was seeing the front end of a Dr Martin's Boot. Fractured left cheek bone resulted. Got a fractured skull and right wrist, after being attacked from behind with an iron bar at Plymouth away in 1976. Other than that I was lucky and got away with major injuries, mainly because going in hard and fast, put whoever you were attacking on the back foot. Mind you I've never been hit or kicked so many times in one day, as in the CBL, back in 1976, had bruises that lasted weeks after that one. The North Stand were schooled that you always back your own up no matter what, and anyone that ran, was dealt with after the game, the reason we used to attack the police was in order to get back people that were getting nicked.

I only got knocked out once, and that was when four of us took on the whole of the Wolves End up there, I tripped up the terrace step, fell over and on getting up all I remember was seeing the front end of a Dr Martin's Boot. Fractured left cheek bone resulted. Got a fractured skull and right wrist, after being attacked from behind with an iron bar at Plymouth away in 1976. Other than that I was lucky and got away with major injuries, mainly because going in hard and fast, put whoever you were attacking on the back foot. Mind you I've never been hit or kicked so many times in one day, as in the CBL, back in 1976, had bruises that lasted weeks after that one. The North Stand were schooled that you always back your own up no matter what, and anyone that ran, was dealt with after the game, the reason we used to attack the police was in order to get back people that were getting nicked.

1964/1965 The League Cup.
(Again I was up at Leicester when we won this.)