‘The
Jazz Years’
La Columna at the National Tram Museum, Crich, 14/15th June, 2008.
Once again, La Columna were
at the heart of the National Tram Museum’s ‘The Jazz Years’
weekend. A dozen members, supported by the roving period Copper, Paul
Crisp, brought the political struggles of the 1920s and 1930s to the visitors
at Crich. Fittingly, a Shell petrol tanker drivers’ strike impacted
on visitor numbers, but the blacklegs of La Columna had already filled
their petrol tanks prior to the start of industrial action.
The format was the same on
each day of the Jazz Years weekend. We ran a permanent ‘Aid for
Spain’ tent, collecting tinned food and clothes for Basque refugee
children.
Steve reading about
the Basque refugee children coming to England in The Daily
Herald whilst manning the collection tent (note the period
tins of food collected for the refugees)
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In addition, we staged a General
Strike demonstration into the town, bringing all trams to a halt before
the TUC official pickets were set upon by the regular police, aided by
Police Specials – the ‘Hobby Bobbies’ at their class
war worst!
The Strikers
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The Strike Breakers
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Comrade Bob received a beating
from Police Special Cotgrave on the Saturday, but the pickets got their
revenge on the Sunday, when Police Special Biddlecombe lost cap, stave,
and dignity on the tram rails of Crich. Just desserts all around.
No way to handle a
Special Constable...look at the shocked look on that little boy's
face!
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Special Biddles gets
a roasting
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As well as our Aid for Spain
collection point, and the General Strike demonstration of 1926, we also
noisily demonstrated against ‘the farce of non-intervention’
and for the Spanish Republic. With flags flying, we marched into the town
and held a Rally for Spain. For the first time at Crich, we experienced
period heckling from Blackshirt Colley, and his mate Blackshirt Biddlecombe
(who, only ten years earlier had come to such grief in the General Strike
– will he never learn?!).
On the Saturday night, some
gullible members of La Columna displayed an appalling lack of proletarian
discipline, when they allowed Fifth Columnist extraordinaire Maycock,
to cheat them out of their dinner. Fortunately, the rest of their group
ate their tea for them – so all was not lost.
James C tries to laugh
off allegations of drinking the pub dry
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Having refreshments
after the Aid for Spain rally
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The weekend was also a highly
successful media opportunity for La Columna. Comrade Maycock was interviewed
for the ‘Anarchist Voices’; web media project run by the editor
of the anarchist magazine Total Liberty, Jonathan Simcock; while Comrade
Biddlecombe drew the punters to Crich with a live Radio Derby appearance.
So, another weekend of japes
and history, bringing the events of the 1920s and 1930s to the general
public from Derbyshire and beyond.
Words ©: Steve Cullen
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