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.