Glasgow razor gangs
Encyclopedia
Introduction
The Glasgow razor gangs were violent gangs that existed in the South Side of GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in the late 1920s and 1930s, named for their weapon of choice, which they used to slash their victims.
Historically Glasgow has had the highest number of street gangs in the UK. There were six times more gangs in Glasgow than in the capital of the UK, London, which is ten times larger than Glasgow. Glasgow razor gangs were the most feared gangs in Scotland and the UK.
The book No Mean City
No Mean City
- 30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks :Earlier remasters included the song Greens as a bonus track. This is not available on the 30th Anniversary remaster of No Mean City, but is instead found on the same such remaster of Expect No Mercy....
contains a fictionalized account of these gangs. This book was known and recognized for many years as the best description of life in the Glasgow slums at the time.
Apart from a shared modus operandi, there seems to be no evidence that demonstrates any direct causal linkage between Glasgow razor gangs and Australia's Sydney-based razor gang
Razor gang
Razor gangs were criminal gangs that dominated the Sydney crime scene in the 1920s. With the passage of the Pistol Licensing Act 1927, the New South Wales State Parliament imposed severe penalties for carrying concealed firearms and handguns...
rivalries, which arose from handgun prohibition in the late twenties and the utility of cutthroat razors to inflict harm against adversaries.
History
The tradition of gang formation in the city stretched back at least to the 1880s, and gang rivalries appear to have derived a momentum of their own during the late nineteenth century, irrespective of short-term economic trends, both in Glasgow and in other British conurbations.Religious sectarianism had been rife in Scotland for decades; however, the centre of it all was in Glasgow. Originally, Glasgow had been mainly Protestant, but in the 19th and 20th centuries large numbers of Roman Catholic Irish immigrants came to the west coast of Scotland, drawn by the industries and higher quality of life in Scotland.
As time wore on, Protestants became irritated at increasing unemployment levels and blamed this on the Catholics, on top of the humiliation and resentment against society as a result of constant frustration brought about by dire unemployment. Between November 1930 and May 1935, Glasgow's unemployment rate was between 25 and 33 per cent. However, to
claim that mass unemployment was the sole cause of gang conflicts in interwar Glasgow would be misleading. None the less, the advent of mass unemployment does appear to have led to two significant new patterns in gang formation. First, as unemployment peaked locally in the early 1930s and long-term unemployment posed increasing concern, it became more common for men in their twenties and even thirties to remain active members of street gangs, some of which appear to have provided an important focus for men without work.
In the period between 1920 and 1930, Glasgow became known for its gang violence particularly in the Gorbals area
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...
, leading to the portrayal of Glasgow as one of Britain's most violent cities. Relations between the gangs and the police were violent on both sides, as police officers and local youths contested ownership of the streets. Throughout the 1930s the Glasgow police maintained a network of paid informers, including bar staff employed in public houses in the poorer districts of the South Side and the East End, in order to gather information concerning the planned activities of local street gangs. Confrontations between gangs and police officers frequently followed police attempts to take gang members into custody. For example, in July 1939, a major disturbance erupted in the Gorbals as the Beehive Boys and the South Side Stickers reportedly joined forces to confront police officers who were conveying two prisoners to the police station. 'Hundreds' of local people gathered at the main street corners, and police reinforcements were stoned as they arrived in Thistle Street in squad cars and vans. As the disturbance spread, shop windows were smashed and police officers were forced to stand guard to prevent looting.
Rivalry
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Glasgow's working-class districts were the base for a large number of street gangs. Most had a clear territorial basis, reflected in the choice of names such as the Bridgeton Billy Boys, the Calton Entry and the South Side Stickers. The Beehive Boys took their name from a draper's shop situated at the corner of Thistle Street and Cumberland Street in the Gorbals.Many gangs were active in the city; however, two of the most infamous were the Bridgeton Boys and the Norman Conks, Protestant and Roman Catholic, respectively. By the end of the 1930s, more gangs such as The Beehive Boys, The San Toi, Tongs, The Fleet, Govan Team, and Bingo Boys had come into existence.http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/special-reports/crimes-that-rocked-scotland/2007/10/19/razor-gangs-ruled-the-streets-but-even-in-the-violence-of-pre-war-years-one-man-stood-out-86908-19978261/
The Bridgeton Boys were founded and led by Billy Fullerton, a former member of the British Fascists
British Fascists
The British Fascists were the first avowedly fascist organisation in the United Kingdom. William Joyce, Neil Francis Hawkins, Maxwell Knight and Arnold Leese were amongst those to have passed through the movement as members and activists.-Early years:...
. The Billy Boys adopted a militaristic style of behaviour, marching on parades, forming their own bands, composing their own songs and music, and all dressing in a similar manner.
Glasgow gangs were divided between those that were solely territorial and those that combined territorial and sectarian allegiances. For instance, the Bridgeton (or Billy) Boys in the West frequently clashed with the Norman Conks
Norman Conks
The Norman Conks were a large Catholic street gang active in Glasgow, known as one of the popular Glasgow razor gangs, from the 1880s to the 1960s, with their headquarters and most of their members based about the Catholic area of Norman Street in Bridgeton. They were initially a penny mob, but...
in the East end of the city. The Billy Boys claimed territory was Bridgeston Cross; This is where they would always meet. Their Rival gang - the Norman Conks, would gather in a street which was roughly half a kilometre south of Bridgestone cross, the fact that the two clashing gangs were so closely geographically caused many fights between the two. The Billy boys would often conduct an Orange walk
Orange walk
Orange walks are a series of parades held annually by members of the Orange Order during the summer in Northern Ireland, to a lesser extent in Scotland, and occasionally in England, the Republic of Ireland, and throughout the Commonwealth...
through these streets and also through heavily catholic based towns such as Calton, Gorbals and Garngad. They did this for pure pleasure and payback. The Billy boys also formed a group called the Derry boys, which was a group for younger members, known as the junior section which only had members who were teenagers.
In the early 1930’s, gang numbers started to decrease – this was mainly down to the work of the chief constable of Glasgow Police – Sir Percy Sillitoe. He was brought in due to his previous work with similar gangs in Sheffield. His game plan was to recruit big, strong men from rural areas and the highlands of Scotland up north. He got to work trying to break down Glasgow gangs and will be remembered for his honourable work in doing so. The Billy boys eventually went into decline in the late 1930’s and this was also to do with the start of World War II. Proceeding this, Billy Fullerton continued his public hatred of Catholics and created his own Glasgow branch of the KKK (Klu Klux Klan) and also joined the British Union of Fascists. He eventually died in 1962 in poverty in a flat near Bridgestone cross. In his respect, 1000 people marched for his funeral cortege. This included flute bands.
Patrick Carraher
Patrick Carraher, The Fiend of the Gorbals, was a very known figure in the time of the gang fights. He was born in 1906 into a working class family in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. Known for his love of fighting, Carraher spent his first time in a Borstal at the age of 14, an occurence which would become regular throughout his short life. Carraher was arrested on August 13, 1934 for stabbing to death James Shaw, a soldier. At his trial he pleaded that he did not understand what he was doing because he was drunk. However, he was still convicted, but only of "culpable murder", which meant he served only three years in prison.Carraher relished the experience of prison, as prison lifestyles were tough and often involved the chance off prisoners being subject to knife crime; this being one of Carrahers speciality. For the majority of his inmates, their focus was on how to claim bigger and better objects from stealing, however, Carrahers main objective was fighting. This was the case from a very young age. His actions were often influenced by alchohol, as he had developed a serious alcoholic addiction which constantly fuelled his anger and inspiration to do such malice things.
Even after Carraher's release, he continued his murderous and gruesome ways as he was charged again with razor slashing and assault. His final act of terror on Glasgow was on November 23, 1945, when he murdered another young soldier, John Gordon, during a drunken altercation. This was due to one of Carraher’s few friends, Daniel Bonnar, the brother of Carraher’s girlfriend at the time, had a serious issue with one of the Gordon’s. When Carraher found out about this, he went on the hunt for the Gordon’s, looking to settle a long lasting fight. He found John Gordon with his brother in law, and launched a razor sharp chisel into the soldiers neck. He was arrested and at his trial, Daniel Bonnar and his girlfriend provided evidence against Carraher; Due to this the jury found him guilty within twenty minutes and convicted him of first-degree murder. He was hanged at Barlinnie Prison on Saturday April 6 1946, aged 39.http://www.britishexecutions.co.uk/execution-content.php?key=720