Tuesday, 10 August 2010

Up for the Cup, 1946



The visit of these Derby County fans to a war-ravaged London in 1946 ended in jubilation after their triumph against Charlton Athletic in that year's FA Cup final.

A trip to London was the perfect excuse for wanton behaviour: an excess of hard liquor was consumed, hard-earned money was frittered away in illegal gambling dens and ill-advised romantic liaisons were furtively conducted. And that was just the wives they had left behind for the weekend.

Friday, 6 August 2010

British Union of Fascists meeting, 1939


This gathering of the British Union of Fascists (BUF), held at Earls Court in 1939 was attended by over 20,000 supporters drawn from all over the United Kingdom.

The BUF, led by Oswald Mosley, was outlawed by the British government shortly after the outbreak of the second world war.
This meeting, the last to take place before the ban took place, was interrupted when a local resident, Mrs Irene Smallpiece, wandered onto the stage during Mosley's oration to complain about the noise.

Ziggy, Derek and Clive, 1973


It should have been a match made in showbiz heaven. A coming together of the glam rocker from outer space with the foul-mouthed Oxbridge-educated comedians.

Unfortunately, the union between Ziggy Stardust and Derek and Clive was a brief one.
Sadly, no recordings survive, only a short written note - the extract of a work in progress - of a re-working of 'Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' with new lyrics:

"Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly. He got his cock caught in a mangle. The fucking stupid cunt."
This tantalising glimpse of the coming together of these oustanding talents leaves fans the world over mourning what might have been.