Boom boom

Never been in either of them, but apparently in one of the two pubs opposite Morrison's on Dewsbury Rd there's a plaque on the wall of all the old pubs in Wakefield.

On a recent walk into town I walked down past Boots and noticed the Bee Hive boarded up and up for sale so the Balmoral that joined the Bee Hive at the rear by the back door of Boots has gone as well, Late seventies walking down Southgate to the Mitre then the Spaniard then through to Almshouse Lane By the Old Baths onto the Balmoral, Happy Days

I used to love the Beehive, the girls in their seemed to quite like my cheesy chat up lines..

When it was the Beehive, as well as Balmoral Room, didn't it have a section at the front called THe Smuglers Arms??
WEnt in there more once it opened up and became The Speakasy. Won many a free gallon eating dry cream crackers against the clock.

Went to Moodies in 1966 straight out of Q.E.G.S. into the sawdust- underage of course to watch the film Goal on TV about England's World Cup win. Also went into the Black Swan in Normanton alot where Mick Exley the former Trinity forward kept house. There was never any trouble because who would want big Mick after you. Once saw him vault the bar in his 60's to stop an affray.

Bet they looked at you funny when you ordered that Pimms.

Can't rember the Smugglers arms, it was always the last pub of the night before the 189 back to Normy, and back to the Commercial for a couple of quickies before last orders.

I can tell you a little story as regards the Streethouse mob. It was a comeupence they got a bit earlier (I think) than the one you're on about.

So to the best of my recollections just after christmas early1982 I went to a house party in Sandal. The house was one of the big ones opposite the Sandal Castle. one of your typical mummy and daddy have gone away for the weekend jobs.

It was a fairly dull doo tbh until 4 or 5 Streethouse boys turned up. In typical style they couldn’t just enjoy the opulence and free booze almost immediately they started causing bother but then in a moment of solidarity the local posh kids fought back and somehow they (the mob) ended up barricading themselves in the (master) bedroom. Rare for those days the bedroom had a phone and the mob threatened to ring their mates and get them round to sort us (they never came). Obviously the lass whose party it was panicked and rang the police. Except the police she rang was a very senior officer who was a family friend who lived just down the road on Chevet (allegedly).

This is where it gets interesting. Very quickly a van arrived with some very burly coppers and a very fat Sergeant. They came in and the went to the top of the stairs and I assume the rotund Sergeant convinced them to leave and they took the bait. As the first one came out of the door in full view of us all the Sergeant smacked him in the face with his truncheon then literally threw him down the stairs. He was definitely semi conscious and certainly hurt. Ditto the others who were then carted off to the cop shop except for the first guy who went to Pinders. No way could this happen today as it was even for then excessive force.

For a few weeks we thought we were fairly heroic and in our own way we had been but then I got told the truth. My mates parents were part of the Sandal dinner party set and the very senior officer was there and explained (allegedly) what happened. Basically no way was the very senior officer going to allow these thugs in his own backyard and the message was to be sent out by his uniformed officers in a language they would understand.

As far as I’m aware they never ventured to the suburbs again - they could terrorise Streethouse all day long but not the rate payers!. Not condoning it but boy it was effective and the Streethouse mob were shown up for what they were because I can tell you now a couple of them were blubbing at the end, all very sad in a way.

Thought this might interest you, all very Gene Hunt and very typical of the era.

Very indicative of the time Vasty, that's how things were back then before the Politicaly Correct and the "he's got rights" brigade took control.

Kids, even those in their late teens, knew there was a consequence and said consequence was sometimes physical. Right or wrong it certainly bred a better society than the one we have now. I know many of the pasts brutalities have been rightly exposed and fought against and I would support that to my dying breath but the discipline of kids is one that's been eradicated for the worse.