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So why is this part 1? Easy, it's because there's a part 2. We're talking about almost forty years here, and that's a lot of history. From 1970 to 1990 the clubs colours were red on white. These were also the colours of the Hells Angels. During the early 70s every cunt and his dog was wearing H.A.patches, and Manchester had it's fair share. A lot of these were better known as the Selnec angels, they would turn up at the pubs and cafes carrying crash helmet's and swearing the bike was off the road for repairs. Selnec was an acronym for South East Lancashire North East Cheshire and was the name of the regions bus company. Most town's and city's had their own versions of these people, although they soon disappeared when the established clubs got pissed off seeing dickhead's in patches and started beating them up. Some of these clubs (and were talking nationwide here) were using the name Hells Angels, although it was only the boys in London who held an American charter. It was during the 1980s that they began their 'clean up', getting rid of not only the unofficial H.A. clubs, but also the red on white clubs. So it was only a matter of time before the Sons got a visit. As it turned out, when they did come in 91 they found a Black on White Sons of Hell. The club having changed about eighteen months earlier. So part 2 will pick up the story from there. In the meantime this book is about the red on white years. The years when the clubs foundations were laid,alliances made and friendships forged, some of which have lasted a lifetime.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DRIFTERS The Sons of Hell in Sheffield were actually more of a street gang than a bike club. In fact at the time of it's conception, Yorky was only fourteen years old, and as his fellow gang members were of a similar age I'm guessing their access to motorcycles was limited. Unfortunately I left it too late to ask him why he packed it in and moved to Manchester, but move he did. I do know that while he was there he had befriended a van driver from Salford, and after he moved it was through this friend that he met, and made a lifelong friend of Beef. Together they restarted the Sons of Hell (only this time with bikes), and kick started (no pun intended) something that would touch a lot of peoples lives in the years to come.
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Beef and Yorky were both sent to prison around this time after someone was stabbed during a visit to Sheffield. Although Neither of them was the guilty party, their refusal to 'grass' resulted in Beef serving six months and Yorky serving twelve. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "PROSPECT". You would see grown men visibly shrink at the sound of that call. Once upon a time, being a prospective member of a Back Patch Club was nothing short of a series of near death experiences. Prospects were beaten, stabbed, set fire to, hung from trees, ritually humiliated, mentally abused, and made to do some of the most ridiculous things imaginable.
Prospect burning was always entertaining, and was to be a recurring theme for many years. That's Mugsy climbing out of the fire and running off in search of something wet to jump into. They were usually left to put themselves out, apart from one occasion when things got a little out of hand. But that's another story, and not one for these pages.
The longevity of any club depends entirely on the quality of it's members, and it is a serious mistake to sacrifice quality for quantity. Prospecting has changed a lot now and while there are still certain things expected of them, the serious physical and mental abuse is a thing of the past. An older and wiser club membership may well be better able to judge a persons character in a gentler way than before, but I believe it does mean you can make more 'mistakes'. I also believe that as a method of 'quality control' the old way was still the best. But then I'm an old school dinosaur so what the fuck do I know? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "IN MY OPINION" If you ever want to know why club members get so fucking angry when they see 'rock stars etc' and their fans, wearing Patches as some sort of fashion statement, I suggest you think about what these men have been through to 'earn' their right to wear them, and the battles they've fought through to keep them. And if you're a Back Patch Club member sat there reading this, and you 'don't see what all the fuss is about', then maybe it's time you thought about what your club really means to you, because it should make your blood boil. And while we're on the subject, Mr "me and my mates are gonna' start a patch club". Have the balls to approach your local established club, otherwise don't be surprised if you all get fucking battered when they catch up with you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'LL LEAVE THIS PAGE WITH SOME PICTURES FROM 'YE OLDE DAYS OF YORE'
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This is the only picture known to exist of the clubs first patches, with the Drifters bottom rocker, and the centre patch that earned them the 'Knife and Fork gang' nickname. Despite the Drifters bottom rocker the pair were actually based in Salford. The gentleman playing tonsil hockey is Beef, who seems to be wearing a shirt made from the wallpaper. In 1972 the Manchester area already had it's share of Back Patch clubs, and new ones tended not to last very long. There were only two Sons of Hell then. And Yorky and Beef were both sixteen years old.
This is quite a well known picture and is one of a set that was taken by somebody in the press? That's Noddy on the way to his initiation. Somewhere out there in Press world there's a collection of decent pictures of the whole event. All I know is that it was somebody Alice knew. I do have some photos of the event (below) but as you can see they're not in very good condition. The patches are the next design along from the Drifters set, with the first version of the now familiar Deaths Head, and the Manchester bottom rocker that was the cause of a dispute with the Satans Slaves a decade later.
1977. And bleep finally joins
It would be a mistake on your part to assume that this abuse was purely for the entertainment of a bunch of pissed up bullies. As entertaining as it was at times, there was a real purpose behind it. There is a serious 'mind game' going on in this picture, and it contains all the information you need to figure it out!! EMAIL me with your answers, I'd love to know if there's anybody out there who can work out what's really going on??.
