The Battle of Stockton 1933

[genjen]

Today it is eighty-one years since an attempt, by Oswald Mosley's fascist black-shirts, to win over the support of the working population of Stockton was thwarted by an army of angry people who ran them out of town.

http://heritage.stockton.gov.uk/stories/battle-stockton-1933/

I am proud to know that my grandfather was among these numbers and only wish that it had been deemed important enough for future generations to hear about it. Like so much of my local history, it remained largely untold until I found it for myself.

[Redroger]

Fascism and Fascists are unfortunately still with us. Two weeks ago we had an EDL march and counter march locally here in Bournemouth. Bizarrely there was an Israeli  and rainbow flag flown by the EDL. Obviously shows their sense of history; or the lack of it!

[LizzieL]

This seems to be a victim of the media coverage favouring the south over the north. The battle of Cable street 3 years later has much more publicity

[Redroger]

This seems to be a victim of the media coverage favouring the south over the north. The battle of Cable street 3 years later has much more publicity

Usual story;compounded by bigotry etc.etc. eg. "Fog in channel; continent isolated!" "Small earthquake in Chile; not many dead!"

[genjen]

Unfortunately it seems that fascism will never go away completely. It is inconceivable to me that the EDL exists, let alone that support for it appears to be growing in some places. My granddad was from a very poor, working class, not very well educated background and at the time of this historic event, many like him were truly desperate. The Blackshirts came into Stockton hoping to profit from the suffering of the working classes but Tees-siders were having none of it.

Not many years later, of course, a much greater force changed the lives of our parents, grandparents and ourselves for ever.

Has nothing been learned since?

[LizzieL]

Sadly, I don't think so. 

[Redroger]

From the war I fear nothing; and even more sadly we have changes to the school curriculum which are reducing the teaching of history. A current example of the situation; the Russians call the Ukrainians Fascists; an over simplification no doubt; yet it is a historic fact that a Ukrainian legion fought alongside the Nazis against the Russians in WW2 for whatever reason. I just wonder how many of the present under 45 generations know that? Very few i would imagine.

[angelfish58]

and only wish that it had been deemed important enough for future generations to hear about it.

Me to, I lived in Stockton for 11 years and I've never heard about this. I'd be interested to find out if any of my Stockton relations took part in chasing off the fascists.

[genjen]

My grandfather lived in Middlesbrough at the time, only a few of the family were in Stockton. I only know about him being involved because my mum, who was eight at the time, talked about it. I wondered if I had imagined it but my sister heard the same story from her. What my she and I picked up clearly from mum was that she was vehemently anti-Mosley and that the black-shirts were loathed by her and her family. As she idolised her father, we are safe in knowing that these will have been his opinions too.

As I have become more and more involved with my family history, I have also become increasingly frustrated with the teaching of history during my childhood. All of that local industry, the very reason we all lived on Teesside was just never mentioned.