I rememeber one of the first nights i went to wigan late '78 me and a fellow carlisle boy went straight to the bogs after coming into the venue and got stopped in the bog and questioned and searched. by two plain-clothed officers. We were carrying other peoples' bags i remember, cant remember why we had them but thought "were fucked her like.. totaly fucked"" At the time i had barely left school never mind got used to the idea of chemicals but i remember being very worried as some of the bags belonged to people who got off their heeds! Thankfuly nowt was found but my heart was in my gob!

Another soulie from carlisle was telling me some years back that he was approached in the casino by a guy who asked if he had any gear! He said pointing to his addidas bag at his feet "yeah its in the bag" thinking naively it was a strange question to ask about spare tee-shirts and that! - next thing he was getting strip-searched with a lot of explaining to do! haha bet people out there got loadsa stories to tell..............

names ive forgotten..the rest will always stay with me as a very lucky escape...

sometime around '76 myself and a guy called Ray travelled from Skegness to the casino..i'd been going since '74 and after the niter we went for a pint of milk from the corner shop with a girlfriend, leaving another guy we barely knew in the car park. Upon our return we were collared by the DS who arrested barely known guy 'walking around in a daze' asked if he was alone he replied 'No i'm waiting for friends' (duh)..all four of us were arrested and taken to Wigan nick, searched..and asked to provide a urine sampleThe jail was packed with soulies some heavy types among them.I refused for several hours then realised a hopeless situation.I complied, we were released and told that we'd be up in court in Wigan in a month.Back in Skegness Ray and i moped about, shunning all things 'northern'.We'd a job DJing on Saturdays evenings and had to cancel a booking due to a wedding in Wigan!!.Then out the blue!..a letter stating we'd no longer be required but to take this as a severe warning!! weeks later we returned to the casino and learned that our lucky escape being due to the fact that the court was overbooked, Wigan DS choosing to concentrate on known dealers etc rather than (what would've been first time offenders) among then a Manchester crew with a guy called Big Willie? anyway we were off the hook..I'd been searched many times before and after but that was the closest shave..many i suspect were'nt so fortunate..

Apart from a minor incident at Hose St which resulted in a small fine I too can honestly say I never had a proplem with DS.

Probably because after said small problem I never touched an illegal substance again...................................................................

Maybe.

Steve.

best laff i ve had all night steve

steve

Me and Soulcarp in the public toilets outside Casino.

We'd both just hoofed the smarities when two old bill storm in.

'Yeah you can search us geeeeez' says I

'Where are you from, you a bloody cockney?''

''too right'' says I.

Anyway, body search, bnag search, can of shaving foam on sink with cap on it. under cap is a baggie of sulphate, they never even looked !!!!.

You remember it John ?? (Soulcarp)

Apart from a minor incident at Hose St which resulted in a small fine I too can honestly say I never had a proplem with DS.

Probably because after said small problem I never touched an illegal substance again...................................................................

Maybe.

Steve.

I don't suppose those who busted you Steve came under tha names of John Pye & Des Lewis who were the local DS in Stoke and were based in Newcastle in the mid seventies,. Mr Pye has recently published a book . Mr Lewis purchased the Boozy Dog Public House in Newcastle -Under - Lyme after leaving THE POLICE FORCE,which i would say was around about the eraly 80's.. No i'm not implying anything !!!!

Edited January 23, 201114 yr by POTTERIESPECK

ALL THOSE WHO FREQUENTED THE CASINO MUST REMEMBER THESE TWO FACES.

I don't suppose those who busted you Steve came under tha names of John Pye & Des Lewis who were the local Stoke DS in Stoke and were based in Newcastle in the mid sevebties,. Mr Pye has recently published a book. Mr Lewis purchased the Boozy Dog boozer after leavingTHE POLICE FORCE around about the eraly 80's.. No i'm not implying anything !!!!

ALL THOSE WHO FREQUENTED THE CASINO MUST REMEMBER THESE TWO FACES.

Yep , the one on the right (cleanshaven) did my head in one night , I was convinced he was following me as he seemed to turn up every time I went for a piss .Paranoia can annoy ya as they say

Just because your paranoid don't mean that they arent out to get you!!

Just because your paranoid don't mean that they arent out to get you!!

I know . They succeded in the end

Knutsford services was a bastard,they'd wait for you to park and then turn you over, head honcho was a guy in a cream leather jacket -Van der Valk, remember this is 1974.

Anyway, all appeared in court in Macclesfield, Derby and Notts lads with a massive pile of caps in front of the magistrate, after getting a £30 fine each, Gary from Notts asked if he could have his gear back!

After all it was all bombers, black&whites and g&c's, happy days, but not at the time.

Come to think of it back then I never got searched by the squad at an all nighter or anywhere else,for what we were up to they would send the uniform plod round to pull you and theyd be waiting at the station when you got there ,so the plod did all the searching,though the ds would go round and search your house (at that time my room to start with as I lived with my mum and dad till I was about 19,then they could only search your room and had to ask permission to look elsewhere in the house,course they never got permission of my mum and dad.So the ds were working in tandem with uniforms.One day I called round to see my pal Wilky to be answered at the door by his girlfriend calling me john(not my name)saying he wasnt in gesturing with her eyes to the other side of the half open front door,I also noticed the brand new yellow escort with the funny ariel at the bottom of the path and guessed best walk awa.,When I got home my mum said the old bill had been searched my room ,been told no when they asked to look elsewhere in the house and had left in a huff saying it would be best for me to hand myself in,they even blurted out it was about a chemist in wellinborough,hand myself in yeh right.Next day I am lying on the couch parents at work and ignoring many bell rings throughout the day from you know who,eventually I go out for some fags and am grabbed by two beefy cid from wellinboroughAll the way to wellinborough theyre saying ,got you now,people have made staements blah blah blah,and other garbage.It turns out I later discover that this junky biker type called d.v. . irk..t..k has been caught with another charecter of similar ilk trying to do a chemist in wellinborough,well it turns out that a couple of months previous this bloke had driven two people to burgle it and they had got away with a lot of gear but when they came out he had driven off and they had to make their own way back to where they may have come from,he turned up next day looking for a share and apparently was told nil by mouth,anyway the barsteward must have been worried about who the two were because when he failed to succeed in his bid a couple of months later to ingratiate himself he gave the names of two completely innocent easy going blokes myself and wilky instead of the real robbers whoever they may be.He knew us from some previous encounters having a drink in a pub we used and must have thought us easy targets to frame..Anyway bill and ben get me to the police station search me,then take me to the cell block unfortunately for them all the cells are full ,theres been a big punch up among some locals however I do see sitting in one cell wilky and in another ..ve ,laughing one of the cid says weve got a place for you little boy and they march me off and lock me in a juvenile detention room.Well when youre innocent you are confident of getting out so just sit back and wait ,after a while I can hear voices and theyre coming through a grill up on the wall,so I get on the bench stretch and have a peek through,I am now looking down into the charge room. through the grille up on the wall.There standing at the charge desk well leaning on it in the middle of the room are two of the northampton ds I recognise from a previous encounter,now this is the jist of what I hear them saying",Well if he(me)doesnt say anything thats it,wilkinsons said nothing and will keep doing so if he does the same(meaning me)were fucked ..ves word on its own isnt enough to charge the bastards we will just have to let the two of them go tonight if he does the same as his mate,we will just have to wait another day",.I can hear them really clearly even though they are not talking particulary loud as the otherwise empty charge room is very echoey.Well I get back down and sit there and cant help laughhing to myself course its good that I know that we are innocent but its good to know that the word of ..ve biker and loudmouth isnt enough to convict us as that was his intention.,Anyway shortly after I get interviewed by the squad,told that they hate corby and all nighters and what does the place do breed bloody people who burgle chemists, they r rattled off a list of names of some older some even the retired from all nighters corby lads called them c...s and said "do you want to be like them", and generelly acted frustrated.On the way back from the interview I was taken past the cells back to the detention room and shouted to wilky "see you later mate we will be out soon." and gave a quick clint eastwood stare to d..e who hid his head in his hands.Sure enough we both got out later, thing is they decded to take my shoes for forensic(to take the piss in other words as it was raining and I had no money on me and lived about twenty miles away)let us out at a two hour interval and put us both on a delayed charge.Wilkys Dad drove us over to answer the charge two weeks later,the ds didnt even bother to turn up and the three of us,me him and his dad were made to wait for an hour till being told no charge to answer.Good to see the old bill dont hold grudges with walk home in the rain without shoes wait then around like statues etc.Anyway the three of us stopped for a pint on the way home and had a talk about how bad it was trying to frame innocent people.From what I later learned D... . .irkp....c. got charged for the bungled attempt he did with another waster and the earlier robbery where he drove off and left two folk he tried to say were us , as for some unknown reason he chose us to frame.There were other times were the uniforms fooked up and the ds were not amused that I know of regarding searches.Things seem to have really gone mad these last few years with the smack and crack thing as now its not uncommon to walk through town and see people being searched in the street most days and times of the week,maybe if the squad would of put more effort into other than all nighters and amphetamine recreational drug use back then things may now be different,who knows.I can remember seeing what must have been the entir ds of various counties all sitting together at severel all nighters,did they really have nothing better to do?

Edited June 7, 201213 yr by manusf3a

Mid seneties living in Norwich I was with a mate and as we walked past a row of shops I looked through a chemist window and could see the dda box at the back of the shop and it had the door open,so having no tools who could resist that so I smashed the door glass went in and emptied the cabinet(later got charged with this ,so it was said ,I left a a thumb print on the dda).Anyway got all the gear and put it in a cardboard box from the shop then left via large hole in glass door. .Later that night having sorted the gear out we decided to go and visit some one so stashing the bag but taking a big handful of caps and pills along with about twenty odd dikes off we went ,the gear was in two small plastic bags and I had both down my socks.We got about a mile along dereham rd going to my mates estate when an old bill car pulled up and two coppers got out."All right lads,where you been the usual,then comes roll up your sleeves lads",so I know whats up,theyve discovered the chemist and they are thinking junkies done it so even though we aint the hippie types we still get the going over.Me and my mate havent got tracks on our arms so that seems to satisfy them,then they say we have to search you,here goes I am in the cells tonight for sure I am thinking,so when they ask my name I just give them the real one,they know my mate from previous punch ups round town ,I am thinking what am I going to do so that he doesnt get nicked,then he says I am his cousin and I am living at his house?then they search us ,he pats me down everywhere except my socks,even tells me to take my shoes off,but doesnt go near the socks or bottoms of my trousers?Thank you result.After a few more words they say goodnight lads and we take off.Later that week I enjoyed some of the caps at an all nighter in peterborough.Many months late and having been nicked in another county,norwich ds come to see me as I am remanded for a week in the police cells so other ds from other counties can question me about you know whats done in their areas.The two of them tell me I am getting charged due to the print blah blah,so what I am going down for what I have been caught for anyway,theres an inspector cant remember his name but the sergeant was called howard as he was after me again some years later,he said that when they came in to "work",the morning after the chemist they had a look in what they called the night book where coppers have to write in a report of what they did on their shift and read that two of them had stopped and searched me in the early hours and had let me go,he then went on to say that the two uniformed coppers got the biggest blasting out from them and hinted some disciplinary action was enacted on them.So just to make them feel better I told them about having the gear down my socks and them failing to find it and were all the uniforms that thick in norfolk,which didnt go down to well so I am sure that telling them this would do something for uniform squad future co operation.

Edited June 8, 201213 yr by manusf3a

I've never been searched at a northern night or all nighter , but got busted at Reading (speed , acid, blow) , Glasonbury (acid. mushrooms .Shagwa),get house serched roughly every year or so normally for my boy's but last one was class A drug's and firearms offence's was getrting stopped regulary on the way back from nighters and soul nights up to about last September .had to pay a backeesh in Morrocco when i got found with some hand sieved and hand moulded zero zero and that was very scarey I thought I'd really done it then as it was at the manditory 10 years , ran off from the police in Algeria with some wild resine had to chuck away that would have been a bad one got asked for acid by a copper I was at school with ( he wasn't a copper at school) in a pub in Ashby (do these people really think were that stupid) and apart from that not really had any problems have a totally crazy weekend Simon.

Again never got searched or nicked by them but the largest gathering of ds,not a few ds and loads of plod unforms doing there joeying for them but all ds from inspectors down to rank and file whatever they are called pc squadie maybe? more than I ever saw at an all nighter before or after was at coalville around 77 I think.I got told on getting there that the squad were sitting in the oldies room and they fooken well were,Norwich,Liecester,Northampton and some I later encountered a year or so down the line from the Derby area including a big beefy inspector with a beard,,looked sort of like geoff capes little brother.What the hell were they all doing ,three inspectors, di riches and the liecester one,plus the northern one,two sergeants howard,norwich and the chinese one from nothampton and a dozen or more rank and file ,the blonde haired bird,reynolds,potts from liecetser etc. included.I said to Keith harpur it l;ooks like they are here for a big publicity bust but fook it theyre not spoiling it for us.I had had a load of brown and clears and had met keith and Ivan and got given a dolly mix swallow from Keith,so we including Wilky .lenny jones from corby and Mick gavr.i.p from wellingborough who we met there were all well out of it so proceeded to enjoy our night..They the ds just sat in the oldies room most of the night taking up a couple of booths.Apart from the unwanted presence it was I recall a good night ,stayed in the oldies most of it and remember backfield in motion getting played and I had not heard that for yonks along with the usual goodies of yore.I didnt even see anyone get nicked.Around about seven or so in the morning Ivan said to me and Lenny do you want a line of coke(pharmy of course not that crack stuff)so we toddled of to the bogs and the three of us went in a cubicle and Ivan got the gear out and made three lines on the toilet seat,one was about ten inches long,thats mine said Ivan go ahead lads you have yours first.I remember looking at the lines and saying that doesnt look like coke its not crystally at all but put it down to the caps and pills having an effect on my vision.Almost as soon as I had snorted my line I realised it wasnt coke,he had got the two bags mixed up they were both in plastic money bags,pharmy coke and pharmy smack,well me and lenny arent all that bothered why not its a nice way to see in the morning plus all the whizz is still working in combination,however as for Ivan hes just put a rhino knock out hit up his nose.Ivan wanders off to see someone he seems ok so we go back to the oldies room.We dont see Ivan again till we are going out at the end as folk are filing past hes on a stretcher unconscious,two medics and Keith Harpur over him Keith had had the presence of mind to take the gear from Ivan when he found him and gave it to his girlfriend to take back to Norwich where he would pick it up when he got back ..Keith went with him to the hospital where they gave Ivan a shot and later that day discharged him from liecester infirmary and him and keith went back to Norwich,even then and at the hospital they were not even questioned by the ds?I know for a fact the contents of two chemists were being liberaly dished out among certain folk that night at coalville,not sold but given to mates and I believe there was also a crew from derbyshire notts,there that night also grooving to the liberated pharmacueticals tune and having a good time in the oldies room like us regardless of the squad.Many years later I still wonder why were there so many of the bastards at that specific allnighter,had there perhaps been a ds conference held localy?who knows?only they!Certainly more caps and pills about than was the norm for that time period(pharmacueticals liberated that is)Ivan blatanly od ed in full view in the foyer,at least a dozen maybe more people there known to the various ds for robbing chemists and I didnt see or hear of anyone getting nicked for a little as a wrap of sulphate.Oh yeh Liecester had one who was there also (a ds rank and file)at that time who used to walk around holding a couple of records and trying to mingle in and earwig where folk would be buying and selling sounds,he used to pop up at st ives,and sometimes at wigan.When I got nicked one time for a chemist he was among the inquisition and he tried to make converstion saying about records he liked and that the "champion",was his favouite,he killed any liking forever that I may once have had for that record but that wasnt much talk about hearing the ladies choice and being reminded of cleethorpes,what about hearing "the champion" and being reminded of the squaddies bloody choice.He also rattled on about having a few other records ,mostly pye demandos and black muppet music label soosysousan stuff.Wonder if he still "collects",thirty five years or so on!.Oh I almost forgot Georgina Archdeacon ,brilliant girl and a great laugh was with us that night living it up with us regardless of the ds and I do believe she did tease them a bit to our amusement,she was Ivans girlfriend of the time,havent seen her since I first went down to Norwich to look for work(bollux look for work)to meet up with Keith again and go liberating all the easy chemists Norfolk had at that time.Georgina was one of the most likable girls on the scene totally mad but who wasnt then? ,remember she loved saxie russel and chubby checker .

Edited June 22, 201212 yr by manusf3a

I am sure that I was one of the lads from Derbyshire at. Coalville that night when there was loads of squad in.

Think I was playing pool with some local lads. NExt to the oldies room ?

Or is my memory playing tricks

Some really good lads from down that way can't remember any Names

Went out with a girl from leicester is there a wigston lane in Leicester ?

Spike

I am sure that I was one of the lads from Derbyshire at. Coalville that night when there was loads of squad in.

Think I was playing pool with some local lads. NExt to the oldies room ?

Or is my memory playing tricks

Some really good lads from down that way can't remember any Names

Went out with a girl from leicester is there a wigston lane in Leicester ?

Spike

The lads who were from the derby area were Bill Black his pal Richie(cant remember second name)torch lads,,younger borther George black and his pal Reeves black lad good dancer),I got to know these two in welford road on remand .if I recall they had got nicked for a chemist,my good pal little mac from Belper r.i.p was also there ,he was made up because my mate keith had given him a few green and clears.Apart from the unwanted ds I remember it as being a good all nighter for the time.Still to this day wondering what the fook all them lot were doing there it must have been a meeting ,convention ,training seminar sort of thing,Had a look at your profile and I reckon you would be about George and Rreeves age.I havent seen any of them for many years and have only trecently started getting about again.ps the oldies room did stand out for some foo ken good dj sets that night.George and Reeves did som time back then for a chemist I do believe.Oh another ps I am from Corby Northants ,well up until a few years ago I now live in Peterborough.

Edited June 23, 201212 yr by manusf3a

I remember going to Coalville one night about that period, Chris King was running it I think. He asked me to judge the dancing comp. So there I am swaying on the stage, when my friend comes over to the stage, and he tells me Geoff Short and other sundry memebers of the Derby DS were in the toilet while he was having a piss. At which point I informed Chris King that he could judge his own dance comp. and I was off!!! I ended up in the small room where some guys were playing pool, talking to Matchy and Charlie Waring. Geoff Short was possibly the guy mentioned earlier in #65, with the beard.

Edited June 23, 201212 yr by mickmac

I remember going to Coalville one night about that period, Chris King was running it I think. He asked me to judge the dancing comp. So there I am swaying on the stage, when my friend comes over to the stage, and he tells me Geoff Short and other sundry memebers of the Derby DS were in the toilet while he was having a piss. At which point I informed Chris King that he could judge his own dance comp. and I was off!!! I ended up in the small room where some guys were playing pool, talking to Matchy and Charlie Waring. Geoff Short was possibly the guy mentioned earlier in #65, with the beard.

Now then this gets interesting

Martchy I've known since I was about 15

Had not seen him for about 30 years then met up with him at the wheel one Sunday

Charlie warimg I Cannot remember fr the 70's but he is now a friend of mine as we are both regulars at the wheel

Charlie & matchy could both tell us a few tales from the 60's&70's

Charlie and Roy Harrison took a young Dave Evison to his first allnighter at the twisted wheel

This was verified by Dave when I met him in Derby a couple of years ago

Spike

I remember going to Coalville one night about that period, Chris King was running it I think. He asked me to judge the dancing comp. So there I am swaying on the stage, when my friend comes over to the stage, and he tells me Geoff Short and other sundry members of the Derby DS were in the toilet while he was having a piss. At which point I informed Chris King that he could judge his own dance comp. and I was off!!! I ended up in the small room where some guys were playing pool, talking to Matchy and Charlie Waring. Geoff Short was possibly the guy mentioned earlier in #65, with the beard.

Matchy was there that night thinking of it now I think that ds di was called short,when I got pulled in at liecester for a chemist they had me in the cells for a week getting a police remand so I could be seen by others from other places. at charles street old bill station as the ds from Norwich and Northants wanted to question me for similar offences ,not guilty not me of course.,the younger brother of geoff",the fat pig capes and a sidekick came down from derby as me and a mate had been stopped twice in derbyshire while out touring and when they searched the car there was a couple of pages from the yellow pages listing all the chemists in the area ,this aroused suspicion and when they did thier checks we were told to "fook off out of the county as they knew what we were up and not come back. They followed us for severel miles to make sure we went(this was just the uniforms not the ds.This had been about a year before anyway looks like they came down to question me about a couple of chemists in Derbyshire bringing up the facts they knew me and another well known liberationist had been stopped by the plod around that area which of course I knew nothing about.It was then that I recognised he was the one at coalville sitting with all his squadie mates.I did say at the time what were they all doing there having a convention ! but they didnt answer.Did you ever notice that apart from the inspectors and those with some rank the majority of the ds no matter what county they came from all sort of looked alike as if cloned,those two on the photo from wigan being examples with obligatory good looking youngish female preferably blond (honey traps(ike samanthas blondie )l.The blokes like that pair looked like the soppy social worker ,dope smoker trying to be like a hippy but not quite making it type as thier hair werent ever really long or unkempt enough,clothes a bit to clean etc.Imo this was because they were profiling them to infiltrate dope smoking,,studenty festival going type scenes hardly coducive to them infiltrating in unoticed on all nighter soul scene which is why they always stood out like sore thumbs.Mind you more than a few blokes fell for good looking female ds spilling out the beans no doubt trying to impress but ending up sorry they tried.Looking back what the hell was so dangerous about the all nighter scene that reulted in the large amount of effort the ds put in on it,when all over the country even then there were thousands hitting up potent speed crystals doi9ng smack etc,that never even heard a soul record?

Edited June 23, 201212 yr by manusf3a

I remember going to Coalville one night about that period, Chris King was running it I think. He asked me to judge the dancing comp. So there I am swaying on the stage, when my friend comes over to the stage, and he tells me Geoff Short and other sundry memebers of the Derby DS were in the toilet while he was having a piss. At which point I informed Chris King that he could judge his own dance comp. and I was off!!! I ended up in the small room where some guys were playing pool, talking to Matchy and Charlie Waring. Geoff Short was possibly the guy mentioned earlier in #65, with the beard.

Mac was that the night that Tony Garnett got lifted and Steve Parker twatted that DS...or was that somewhere else ?

Dave

I remember going to Coalville one night about that period, Chris King was running it I think. He asked me to judge the dancing comp. So there I am swaying on the stage, when my friend comes over to the stage, and he tells me Geoff Short and other sundry memebers of the Derby DS were in the toilet while he was having a piss. At which point I informed Chris King that he could judge his own dance comp. and I was off!!! I ended up in the small room where some guys were playing pool, talking to Matchy and Charlie Waring. Geoff Short was possibly the guy mentioned earlier in #65, with the beard.

Ha ha I like it",At which point I informed Chris King he could judge his own dance comp and I was off!!",brilliant .

Now then this gets interesting

Martchy I've known since I was about 15

Had not seen him for about 30 years then met up with him at the wheel one Sunday

Charlie warimg I Cannot remember fr the 70's but he is now a friend of mine as we are both regulars at the wheel

Charlie & matchy could both tell us a few tales from the 60's&70's

Charlie and Roy Harrison took a young Dave Evison to his first allnighter at the twisted wheel

This was verified by Dave when I met him in Derby a couple of years ago

Spike

Going off topic slightly:

Roy Harrison was from the same village I was brought up in: Mayfield. As was another Wheelite Brian Harrison. Brian, coincidentally, was a very keen UK collector and had (amongst other things) an entire set of TMG green and white demos plus all the earlier Stateside stuff on demo as well I think.

They were quite a bit older than me - 15 or maybe more years so I didn't know them back in the day. I still see Brian occasionally. Roy H, Brian, and I think Charlie Waring as well started what has to be one of the earliest small town soul clubs: the Rinky Dink Soul Club in Ashbourne. I recently found an old local newspaper advertisement for Brian dated Feb '67 although he claims it probably started a few months before they started advertising it (late 66).

Mas

Edited June 23, 201212 yr by maslar

most awkward un-necessary search I ever underwent was one monday teatime in the early 70's as I was walking through Leeds city centre having just left work with my dad who I worked with at the time and several work colleagues . A DS called Derek Balderstone strode acrosss the street waving to me! They had raided Hernies in Leeds on the saturday! Hello, he says what you up to? oh and can I just give you a quick shake-down ? no says I , but he did anyway much to the amazement of said work colleagues least of all my old man and loads of passers-by..!

once went into work on a saturday morning to do a bit of o/t after an acid trip..thought it had worn off, but as some will know there is always an extra bit at the end...really weird, spent all 4 hours sat in bog !. dont ever try using an electric cloth knife whilst tripping..!!!

the real deal soul scene keep the stories coming people

once upon a time there were five boys from Gloucester Pete James(rip) ,Garry Griffiths(rip), Ikey Drew , ?phelps and myself going out to play on a saturday.

Pete the driver picks me up and says"funny feeling, as i drove past Walls ice-cream factory a policewoman started talking on the walkie-talkie?( paranoid i thought) our plan that afternoon was -up to Bromsgrove and then on to St-Ives, we decided to take a not so obvious route out of Gloucester and get on the motorway outside Cheltenham,

so good so far,as we came out of the turning by the highwayman there came a policecar in the other direction! and the look on the bobbies faces was enough, we carried on to the motorway and sure enough they turned round and came after us!!

we all had gear on us so proceeded to rapid swallow(i had my then girlfriends share as well!)? Phelps said "need a hand...... silly question really!!

Anyway they followed us for a while and then overtook us and waved us down,by that time there were two police cars,a range rover,a ford transit and the drug squad car thrown in for good measure! one car for each of us

My gear necked(plus half an ounce stashed in the car) Pete had his delicately between his legs(abot 200 caps) but driving so diffucult to get to, pulled us over and on the side of the motorway strip searched! at this precise moment the Gloucester coach drove slowly by i can to this day still remember Gabby´s grinning face going by waving and laughing!!

I was searced-nothing.......? phelps.........Nothing.......Ikey......nothing.............Pete.........nothing(he told the copper to f텸텸k off when he went to his pants!!.........Gary.............cut throat razor and a flick knife allright lads back to the nick as we got into our seperate cars, Pete was allocated the transit and in getting in he stashed the pills in the back of the door, i got the range rover and by this time was frothing and talking rather fast with my new best friend mr policeman he asked me how we had managed to get so far unstopped ? and there were anyway policecars parked waitng on every motorway bridge between Gloucester and Birmingham!!

Back to the nick searched again and a mass meeting of the squad and us! me i was by then right off my head ,tried to lean backwards on the wall and ended up lying on the floor as i looked up i commented on the rough plastering on the ceiling ,they seperated us and as (until then) nothing had been found put us in seperate cells! meanwhile the transit had been searched and the 80!! caps were found,Pete denied they were his and his car was sent to Bristol phorensics ror a thorough search!!

Then the questioning really started ,waste of time really as i couldn´t stop talking anyway but at two o´clock in the morning i was thrown out-no charges..............we all ended up at Ikeys then girlfriend Julie Lewis´s house i got put in a seperate room(still talking) and i think (not sure) ike nicked a car and went to wigan as he often did.

The next week Peters car was returned after being completely ripped apart, except for the fact they had missed my half ounce!!

after a long drawn out court case Pete got eighteen months for the(80) caps to this day can´t work that one out,

i actually appeared in court for the defence as a character witness didn´t help though!

and to think none of it would have happened if Gary didn´t have the blades on him!!

Steve

about three weeks later i got busted but thats another long,long story

what agreat lad gary griffiths was steve, alison (grech) and me were talking about him the other week when we planted an olive tree in memory of our son scott she got the photo albums out and there was one of gary and you and alison regards kim

Edited June 23, 201212 yr by kim

Ha ha I like it",At which point I informed Chris King he could judge his own dance comp and I was off!!",brilliant .

Chris got his own back 4-5 years later, the DS had pulled me at the Alfreton nighter, along with Stigga. As I was being lead out the front foyer, Chris see's me and leans over, saying, " you got owt Mac?", "what anything beside these handcuff"s?", at which point he noticed the guys either side of me. Whoops!!

Mac was that the night that Tony Garnett got lifted and Steve Parker twatted that DS...or was that somewhere else ?

Dave

Hi Dave, I don't believe it was, as I thought no one got lifted that night. I'll have a word with Steve P, as I still keep in touch with him.

Going off topic slightly:

Roy Harrison was from the same village I was brought up in: Mayfield. As was another Wheelite Brian Harrison. Brian, coincidentally, was a very keen UK collector and had (amongst other things) an entire set of TMG green and white demos plus all the earlier Stateside stuff on demo as well I think.

They were quite a bit older than me - 15 or maybe more years so I didn't know them back in the day. I still see Brian occasionally. Roy H, Brian, and I think Charlie Waring as well started what has to be one of the earliest small town soul clubs: the Rinky Dink Soul Club in Ashbourne. I recently found an old local newspaper advertisement for Brian dated Feb '67 although he claims it probably started a few months before they started advertising it (late 66).

Mas

Roy has told me some stories about the rinky dink

Fighting with greasers sounded fun

Roy is the moderator on the twisted wheel forum

Someone mentioned Steve Parker Met up with him at the wheel a couple of years ago when he was over from Australia sound guy

The only time I got strip reasched they made me run on the spot in the nude - was this normal practice ?? .........Got my car taken to bits in Hemel one night when I was with PW going to score some gear , their timeing was way out

HI MY NAME IS STE AND MY FRIEND IS FRED FROM WIGAN WE KNEW A PETE WICKHAM AND HAVE LOST CONTACT FROM THE CASINO DAYS.WOULD BE PLEASED IF IT IS THE MAN WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Roy has told me some stories about the rinky dink

Fighting with greasers sounded fun

Roy is the moderator on the twisted wheel forum

Someone mentioned Steve Parker Met up with him at the wheel a couple of years ago when he was over from Australia sound guy

He's coming over in September and we're going to the Wheel on the 9th with the rest of the Sheffield gang who used to hang with him

Dave Hill

Hi Dave, I don't believe it was, as I thought no one got lifted that night. I'll have a word with Steve P, as I still keep in touch with him.

Lol... so do I mate as I sent both of you birthday wishes on facebook...

ps has our young un found that hendrix tape yet?

pps...thinking back I think it was Hinkley cos me and Anita got there after all the fun had happened

Thinking of another strange one where the uniform branch did a drug search that I had the misfortune to be involved in,this is going back a lot of years now but was after I stopped going to all nighters(well before coming back to the scene,happily I may add that will be  a years ago soon  and loving it).A person from out of town had called over at mine what he was after was some  of the dirty stuff,at that time in the past I knew someone doing it and this person was going on about ,go on get in touch with him,blah,blah etcI didnt want any myself ,want little if any to do with it.Anyway after much persistent going on about it  I said I would take him to the blokes who he knew but didnt know his address.He parks along from the blokes flat,its hot as hell with survielence round this block of flats,home to many merchants of black market wares,he asks me if I will go and fetch his can of beer as I know the bloke better,like a right mug I think nothing of it and say ok,I get to this lads flat ,knock and go in,turns out hes out of beer,have a two minute chat and leave ,doesnt bother me if hes got no beer?Anyway as I leave his flat and look over to where the car should be,no car,so here I am wandering around looking down roads,in a little nearby car park,all round the block ,people are starting to look at me now wandering round peering down paths looking for his bloody car,after about ten minutes I go back to knock on the lads door to say something in the order of"If he turns up at yours tell him Ive gone home".I am on my way to do this when over the road I spot his car parked behind a van ,hes slouched  down below the level of the window,he motions me to get in.I ask him where hes been,turns out he thought it iffy parked where he was so decided to drive of looking for somewhere else to plot up as the area is,as I have said already"Red hot with d.s and uniformed patrols all clued up and aware of whats going on in the blocks of flats".Me,I am thinking  ,you mate? have let me walk about thinking I have something on me and you are waiting to see if I get lifted when I come out of a well known dealers flat in a red hot area and have in my pocket a dirty bag of slush (which as it transpires I didnt) if I do get stopped by the ds, ",oh well lost a tenner" says he,"but at least I never got nicked too  like I would of done if I had been waiting parked outside ", I!so hes  parked well away from the scene,far enough to give it plenty of time to make sure  that he  can see whats  going on from a good distance away and far enogh so that if it comes on top it will happen well before I get anywhere near him in his car where he can drive off if I get pulled  ,charming!,I dont say it because I dont need to.I want dropped off back home.Me thinking  I must need my phooking head examined?This isnt going to happen again,and it didnt and it wont Looking for a "Patsy",try the bakers shop,,oops sorry thats were they sell pasties,polygees folk thats were they sell pasties.Put myselff in that position again,never!

Edited September 1, 201311 yr by manusf3a

On the way to the Torch from Leeds. Coach full of Soulies got stopped by the DS and they escorted the coach to the local police station. This was the night when Major Lance was on too, so we all thought we'd miss the show. They kept us all for 4 hours sat in a room with our hands on our heads, wouldn't let us put them down, ached like hell. Wouldn't let anyone go to the loo either cos they said we'd all have to give urine samples. Searched everything, and I mean everything, including taking apart Cassette players, Discotrons (who remembers those), and even went to the extent of opening Polo packets to see if anything had been hidden down the middle.
Eventually they let us go, I think they did find some stuff, can't really remember, I know I was clean and relieved. Got to the Torch just as the Major was going on stage, so all was well in the world :-)

Edited August 24, 201311 yr by Northern Soul UK

Apart from a minor incident at Hose St which resulted in a small fine I too can honestly say I never had a proplem with DS.

Probably because after said small problem I never touched an illegal substance again...................................................................

Maybe.

Steve.

 

 

And my cocks a kipper

Kegsy

Never had the pleasure of the DS's company in me time! The one occasion I should have....I got an apology instead! Around 1994 a friend went to Amsterdam. He posted a tape cassette to me! Wrapped around the spools was 'solid' rolled out like a sausage...or pencil....and wound around both spools....and put back together again! This parcel arrived....with tape and stickers on it! They were from C&E saying they had inspected the package as routine and apologise for any inconvenience.....! The tape weighed about an ounce......obviously not right.....but they sent it anyway! No...for u para lot....they weren't waiting around t'corner either for me to open it........never heard a word.....and it smoked even better I recall!!!!x

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...tape collector.................!x

 

Edit....I forgot!! There was this one time.....and i'm sure she won't mind me telling it!x I was arrested for possession in Stansted.....another funny longish story which I will tell another time......but as a result....I was in a cell waiting for the Duty Inspector to get their lives together.....I had £75k cash in me suitcase and had to be in Belfast in 3 hours....end of! Whilst waiting for them to sort their lives out......my home was attended by 2 police officers! My ex Mrs answered the door...they explained I had been arrested in Stansted and was there anything at the house that shouldn't be? She didn't panic.....nope....in her innocent way she replied.....'yeah....he's got a plant growing in the garden but it hasn't budded yet so it ain't illegal init....'......! Weeks later I met the young Constable in a professional manner.....and he said he did all he could to not laugh.......! I still laugh to this day.....she was that innocent...and why I loved her....and yup.....will never stop loving that about her!x

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...due to PM demand....i'll tell it now.....for u PT!!x 

 

I was commuting to Ireland./..North and South each week for a year 96/7. Each Monday I flew out and returned Friday. The Ex would put my bit of personal in my wash bag in me suitcase. Enuff to last a week of a few on the evening. No problems ever. Then....one day I arrived at Stansted to find me flight was delayed. I had a new tin of duty free Golden Virginia which I had been buying on me trips and opened it for me first cigarette out of it whilst waiting for the plane. Had the roll up....announcement was made that the plane was ready for check in....so went to the desk to checkin! Got to the front.....bag safely over the counter......then there was this tap on me shoulder.....I turned around....and there was this HUUUUGE bearded copper stood brandishing a machine gun asking 'excuse me Sir....is this your tobacco tin?'.....YES....sez I....loose me head if it weren't on me shoulders' was my reply as if said yesterday! He then added....'do you mind if I look in it for any devices'?......WTF???...Devices???...!!! Was I brown or summink??hehe! Of course not I replied.....he lifted the first flap as I had to make me first rolly.....then he opened the second flap......and sitting there???....yup....me lump of solid....! She decided to put it in there.......for the first time in a year.....!!! Dunno why.....still don;t to this day.....but that then lead to her assisting me in getting out of this predicament i'd been put in by sharing her knowledge of gardening.....! U gotta laff init?! I had too.......!x

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Edited August 24, 201311 yr by SOOTY

On the way to the Torch from Leeds. Coach full of Soulies got stopped by the DS and they escorted the coach to the local police station. This was the night when Major Lance was on too, so we all thought we'd miss the show. They kept us all for 4 hours sat in a room with our hands on our heads, wouldn't let us put them down, ached like hell. Wouldn't let anyone go to the loo either cos they said we'd all have to give urine samples. Searched everything, and I mean everything, including taking apart Cassette players, Discotrons (who remembers those), and even went to the extent of opening Polo packets to see if anything had been hidden down the middle.

Eventually they let us go, I think they did find some stuff, can't really remember, I know I was clean and relieved. Got to the Torch just as the Major was going on stage, so all was well in the world :-)

Discotrons,magic,its amazing how good records sounded through  them ,especially after some pills and caps,great little bits of kit,the discotrons as well.

Edited August 24, 201311 yr by manusf3a

Never got pulled at a niter, got ripped off and rolled as a youngster though, so used to drop it before we went in.

 

Two near escapes though...

 

One time me and Ronnie Hanley squeezed in the passenger seat of Bry Millard's triumph spitfire and we got pulled by a ford angela panda car a couple of miles from Wigan, just as we got out to be searched, a big noisy motor, zephyr or some such, went passed at about 70mph, so the bobbies said "be on yer way" and raced off to catch the "zephyr".....which was nice, especially as one of us had 10 years in their bag!!!

 

The other time, me & Bry had scored off some lads from Rochdale. They got bubbled by a "mutual friend" who also bubbled Bry but only knew his surname. Bry's older brother, who was an old Wheelie, had a thriving business and a 911 was targeted by mistake, they searched his house and dug his garden up but found now't. We sh*t ourselves and I ended up wearing our stash round my waist for a week until we got shut!!!! 

Used to get searched at Victoria Station in Manchester on a Sunday morning after having been to the Wheel.

Had a bag, as had also been at OT, but never had anything to interest the DS.

 

You got wise to them though, as they would always ask you where you had been. If you didn't mention the Wheel, they didn't bother you.

As a promoter in the 90's...I sat with my local Constabulary over a coffee and 'talked' with them about my plans for The Maltings and St Ives. It was a mature debate with real 'street wise' chat used and shared. It comes with looking for an A/N license! The Cambs DS had no interest in 'policing' Northern Soul gigs....end of. The St Ivo manageress was the same one who was there in the 70's to witness the 'reality'. She endorsed my view wholeheartedly. The scene...Nationally...has had this approach from Law Enforcement of this kind. You are considered 'mature'....and 'sensible' with drug use. Like anything...it's there to use or abuse....and Soulies have developed a decent track record over the years of positive use....is my understanding. Doormen Nationwide love you too.....!x

 

Jack would be proud of us all....on the whole...I reckon!x

 

 

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