Dare to be Different

a/ Way Back in 1970 After I had bought my first motorcycle ( BSA Bantam ) I was hooked
on Bikes. Roads were safer then less motor monkeys in cars. Great days were to be had on my new ride Coniston Dance at the weekend was now easy to get to.

It doesn't take long for biker's to heard like packs of wolves and that is how the Warlords formed in 1971. The name came From Harry Stringer Harry was SargentSergeant at arms a mean little Fucker by any standards and lets face it back then we needed control among ourselves or
it would have been chaos theory exploded.

Favorite hornt'shount'shaunt's of the period  were The Cumberland and The Queens in Hindpool in
Barrow in Furness. These were great pubs with
real community importance bristling full of strange
characters. Some of the Toughest blokes in the
Town Drank in these pubs. So they were no place to get cocky unless you wanted a dig.

Very few women drank in these pubs until the
weekend. At the weekend our attentions turned to
Coniston. Half hour ride away.
Full of good looking tourists
Good pubs with Shit Beer.
The Black Bull was favorite.

b/ Coniston dance was held in the Ruskin hall just round the corner from the black Bull.
Back in 71 when it all kicked off the guys were.
Richo. ( Names have been changed for protection )
Harry Roper
Al  Meat.
Tod the Sod.
Big Licko.
AL Stand
Al Miff
Terry Holland ... RIP
Benny the ball.... RIP
Kenny Trenchcoat.
Ray Mini.
The Girls were.
Mother.
Cazzee
S & M. But to Name a few


d/ Occasional small wars broke out. Some dick in the local gangs would come round chanting crap but were fast dispatched. We didn't need to look for trouble it
often found us.

We were happy to oblige the local dick gangs
they were no threat and it was good scrapping practice for the week ends.

There was a large collections of Skins in the Town.
The Barrow Boot boys. These were a bunch of football
hoolies they met at the Tufty club in Nelson street.
They also gathered in the Ambrose pub just 100 yards from the Bell End.

You would think it would have been war but they
were looking for out of town prey.
So were we. A mutual respect existed for most of the
time. A few skirmishes erupted here and there.

One big one comes to mind at the tufty club.
It was not a pretty sight at the end.
With a couple of meat heads in hospital
and a few home stitches for us.

c/ Parties were number two on the priority list we actively hunted them down as well as having plenty of our own. Heavy 1970's rock music lots of booze and sex was the plan. Not always in that order.

Mother played a big part in the warlords she was Cazzee mother and a great old girl.
She had this big old terrace house in Blake Street.
All the houses on Lower Hindpool were due for demolition. This was the ultimate fate of our local pubs.

We had full run of the place meeting there partying.
Eaten at arms Harry lived there and we met there every day to plan our runs and retributions.

Mother feed the hungry and watered the wilting.
Over a steady period the Houses emptied with the gaff being one of the only ones lived in.

e/  I am keeping it brief it's not a book. Motorcycles were the main thing we had a couple of garages up on Chatsworth street we used for repairs and storage.
This was when the brick works was still working.

Now the asda site. There was a great piece of land at the back we used it for scrambling and demolition derby's in old cars from Curtis the scrap man.
We called him the one armed bandit his yard was at the end of Bath street. He was a strong old bugger considering he only had the one arm.

There were some good lads on the warlords and Girls.
S & M was good laugh and she liked the crack.
We were girlfriend boyfriend for a while and it was good.
S & M could hold here own and was no push over.

Al Meat  and me went back to school days the salt of the earth. Would do anything for you. Al introduced me to poasingpoasingposeingpose he was good at it on his BSA road rocket.

Tod the sod I have no idea what happened to Toddy.
Lost contact with him after Warlords.
A very funny guy. Lived on Walney Island.

 F/ Big Ken well I could fill a book with Ken's antics he was a Big lad well over 6ft
not many would mess with this big mother in a Trench coat an imposing site on his Ossa.
He had this mad flat cap crash helmet although then we did not have to where them.
Ken could kill you with a look.

Big Licko he worked as a chef in Kendall road a 500 Triumph mainly cane down at week ends.
Big 20 stoner imposing lad the only one of us with a beard also played in a band.

Terry Holland ..RIP the first of the Barrow Hells Angles. Built like a bean pole this skinny six foot mother was a well known site around town on His BSA C15. Later he bought the first Rocket 3 in  town and had it chopped....
Tezz lived above his old mans chip shop in Ainsley
Street. Sadly no longer with us .. RIP Terry

Harry Roper a tenacious little bugger cane from
a tough family. Angel was a small guy in stature but was like a Tazzy devil. Harry started it all.
Loved his Greavs trial and racing bikes.
Bought a nice 250 sport twin racing Greavs from Brian Bartlem and Fred makepiesce and raced it with some success. Brian and Fred had a workshop in Old Iornworks Road

H/ Peter Roberts Ran the BSA franchise in Barrow in the 50s and 60s by the 1970s Peter was selling Yamaha motorcycles from his small terrace shop in Rawlinson Street.  The last ones to convert. Still a bike shop today. Some dumb frigin women did a right turn while my mate Spud Murphy was riding with me on the back right in front of us.

I went tits over the car and right through the Bike shop front doors. I was lucky and ok apart from being winded. I was so pissed with this dumb women I smashed all the windows in here car. Poor Spud ( His dad had the Stealworks Pub) got a Brown leg out of it and months in Hospital. They were the days you Got 30 bob and a big apple as an insurance settlement if at all!

I/ Benny the Ball... Another Guy who's sadly is no longer with us. I could write a book an Benny's antics. The master practical joker. Have a try at anything. 
Benny Knocked around with
Kenny Smith sadly another RIP ...

Benny was on the back of Kenny Smith when they crashes a Tiger 90 on Abbey road sadly Kenny was Killed and Benny was left with a bad broken leg.
It never slowed him down in fact life for Benny got ever faster. Always burning the candle at both ends right up to his death in the early 80s. More about Benny later.

Ray Mini... Ray was going through a divorce when
he met up with us. It was the madness that attracted Ray.
He was a car jockey we were bikers but his ride was good for dossing in at Coniston.
Another Walney island Guy. Where are you now Ray ?

J/  AL Stand...
AL was just one of those laid back guys
Famous for his week end parties.
Had some great blow outs at AL's
His imam was so tolerant of motorcycle hooligans invading here house.
She was just a little women but you have never seen a bunch of greasy bikers jump on command and behave themselves when she wanted then to.

AL had some good music a shit girlfriend and the deepest voice I have herd on young bloke.
Great Guy Best buddy to AL Meat.
His mother chucked 5 blokes and 5 women out of AL's double bed on night Just on the Vinegar strokes as well.