Saturday, 25 April 2015

I Remember the Blackshirts

The Battle of Cable Street 1936  

“I remember the Blackshirts” it`s funny how the quirkiest of statements can lodge in your long term memory. I recall my Grandad uttering these words, exactly when or why I can`t remember? It must have been some time in the early eighties, in response to something on television at the time.

Thirty plus years and a couple of Italian holidays later, seeing at first hand the tangible remains of Mussolini`s Fascist regime, my Grandad`s words came back to me. Blackshirts? In Derby? What was that all about? A quick internet search provided my connection, a wiki article on Tommy Moran.

Intrigued, I wanted to know more about this Tommy Moran. Most sources churn out the same few lines of Limited information. Ex-Miner, Engineer, Royal Navy boxing champion, folk hero of the British Fascist movement and “Hero” of Cable Street. Tommy can be seen in action in the old newsreel footage above.

Tommy along with a small group of companions was one of the first Blackshirts to reach the vicinity of Cable Street. The small group were on their way to join the B.U.F. column, when they were set upon, outside Mark Lane Station. His companions soon lay sprawled in the street, Tommy with his back to the wall put up a terrific fight against half a dozen or so men who were attacking him simultaneously. One after another he sent them reeling with clean boxing blows, until he himself was felled by a chair leg. The full newsreel, had been shown in cinemas nationwide, but was rapidly withdrawn. Only part of the footage (the above) remains available to the public domain, but it does briefly show Tommy in action and later having his head bandaged.

There is very little information to be found on Tommy, pre July 1933, when he joined Mosley`s British Union of Fascists, and again nothing, post February 1949, with a newspaper article carrying the headline “Fascist Quits Mosley.” Tommy had disappeared. What became of Tommy Moran?

I had no idea what a politically volatile time the 1930`s and 40`s had been, and the more I have read of Tommy, the more intriguing his story has become. Rather than present Tommy`s story as a boring chronology of his life and political actions, I plan to post a series of articles that give an insight into Tommy the man, and his times.


I must emphasise that this is a social history project, with no political views debated nor political ideologies promoted.
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my Grandad, Leonard Calladine, never a Fascist, always a gentleman, and without whom, this project would never have seen the light of day. 



  1. I don't think you mention that after Mosley's arrest in late May 1940 Tommy took over as the Acting Leader of the British Union until his own arrest and the closing down of BU in July 1940. His wife was Toni and some said she was Jewish, she was a speaker for the Mosley Movement and when Jewish people heckled her she insulted them back in Yiddish. I have seen a photo of him speaking in Kingston after the War. He did break with Mosley over a complex issue that was nothing to do with politics but was reconciled with Mosley long before his death and his funeral was attended by many of his old comrades. During the 1930s Tommy was sent to get fascism started in the Welsh mining vallies and the local communists used to fire air gun pellets at him whilst he was speaking and by the end of hisvspeech his face was covered in red spots. In that piece of film you show of Tommy being attacked during the Battle of Cable Street if you look very carefully you can see the Reds using their tactic of suddenly parting to allow one manvto move quickly through to attack Tommy with an iron bar and then quickly step back through the gap whereupon his comrades closed the gap and the 'brave' attacker quickly disappeared in the crown to avoid arrest. Tommy was the salt of the earth, the people who attacked him with iron bars and air guns were the scum of the earth.

  2. Hi Jeff, thanks for your interesting comments. Yes as you quite rightly say, I haven`t yet mentioned Tommy`s stint as acting leader of British Union.

    Glad you mentioned Toni, she has been a real mystery. Was she Jewish? Had she been married to Jew, before she met Tommy? Was that why she used the nom de guerre “Mrs Sharp”? It took a couple of years, a lot of digging and more than a few dead ends, but I`m delighted to say, I believe I`ve found her true identity, the subject of a future blog post (or two)

    I have a few questions you may be able to help me with, if possible please Jeff.

    Firstly, do you recall where you saw the photo of Tommy speaking in Kingston after the War ?

    Secondly, I have read of Tommy`s reconciliation with Mosley, but sadly as yet have found no evidence to support that ? The only brief mention I have found of Tommy`s funeral is that Jeffery Hamm attended ? Could you point me in the right direction, please ?

    Thank you for sharing the Welsh air gun story, and the insight into the Reds tactics. Not come across either of those before. Brilliant !

    I am currently rebuilding my Tommy blog at :

    Many thanks once again, very much appreciated.


  3. Hi Paul, I've replied to you off-blog by gmail. Jeff

    1. Not had anything yet Jeff, but I will look forward to that. Thank you very much. Paul

  4. Well said Jeff.

    Paul, it would be interesting if you could publish any research about Tommy's post-war group - Sons of St George formed after the War, which in 1948 merged with more than 50 other patriotic groups into Sir Oswald Mosley's new political organisation - Union Movement.

  5. Hi Paul, sorry I sent an email to you using a noreply. Blog address of yours. Could you please send to your off blog email address and I will forward the photo of Tommy speaking post-war in Kingston and also the email I sent but you didn't receive because I'm a half wit on the finer points of internet technology. The info about the Reds using Tommy for target practice in Wales came from a book "Miners against Fascism" published 30 years ago, I'll see if I still have a copy. It also tells how after his speeches were over he used to go for a drink in the same pub as the Reds and they would come over and talk to him in a friendly way because they respected his courage in standing up to them and would tell him: "Tommy, you're a good man but you're in with the wrong crowd". I'll check a couple of other sources, Gordon Stridiron's book 'Blackshirts in Geordie Land' should have some references and also some back copies of Comrade which I'll check the index for. I'm not so comfortable with sending via gmail so please send me your email address gmail or otherwise and I'll send yesterday's email that you didnt get and the photo.