Comments on: Ross McWhirter and the Balcombe Street gang

By: Paul Thomas

Paul Thomas — Mon, 26 May 2014 17:34:28 +0000

As a Londoner I remember well this period that you so admirably encapsulate here. And at the end of the dramatic 6-day siege that had gripped the world the immortal first words of the arresting officer to the criminals as they lay face down on surrender ‘Right. let’s be ‘aving you’ – those familiar words so dreaded by all common criminals. Wimble be assured the Balcombe Street gang were no Nelson Mandellas!

By: "Digory Kirke"

"Digory Kirke" — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:52:02 +0000

Interesting stuff, and indeed stuff that the modern Sinn Fein doesn’t want to talk about. I remember as a kid, watching the nice McWhirter brothers on Record Breakers on BBC1 in County Kildare and then wondering why family members in London were panicking about would they have to have an identity card and register with the Police. It wasn’t a nice time to be Irish in England, especially if you were law abiding and had no time at all for political violence, or indeed violence of any kind. Little bigots didn’t distinguish the good from the evil in those days.

By: Clayton

Clayton — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:16:08 +0000

Thank you for your blog, in particular you’ve used some really interesting photos. Could you let me know where you found the Mount Street, Campden Hill Square, Walton Street and Balcombe Street photographs, or where they are originally from if possible? Many thanks.

By: nickelinthemachine

nickelinthemachine — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:09:26 +0000

Thank you.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:56:27 +0000

Interesting stuff. Did John and Sheila give their account of what happened, do you know? Greatly appreciate your writings by the way. Most blogs are dross, but this is a class apart. Several classes actually.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:07:08 +0000

Thanks for fixing the link. The Deputy Headteacher of my old school died a month or so ago after a long and valuable life teaching hundreds of children. Alf Knott had survived being shot by the IRA in Greenwich in the mid-1970s. I don’t know if it was the same people as the Balcombe St Gang. Why was he shot? Oh, the IRA had got the wrong house and intended to shoot an army officer in the same road.

By: Ross McWhirter and the Balcombe Street Gang (updated)

Ross McWhirter and the Balcombe Street Gang (updated) — Wed, 11 May 2011 04:00:08 +0000

[...] have updated the story of Ross McWhirter and the Balcombe Street gang with some extra pictures and some great [...]

By: graham warley

graham warley — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:08:11 +0000

It was very interesting to read this blog. I was a young salesman with a patch that covered businesses in Central London during the IRA campaign at this time. You are entirely correct in calling the comments by Wimble idiotic.

Terrorism contributes nothing to the cause, merely pain and suffering to innocent people.

I well remember the fear I felt as I walked the London streets wondering if the next parked car I passed had a bomb under it. I was close to Fleet Street on the day when a bomb went off outside an office block near the Old Bailey and the panic caused was horrific.

As a born and bred Londoner congratulations on a very interesting series of blogs.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 01:08:45 +0000

Wimble you have yet again a very simplistic view of the hero Irish and the Evil British. You American by any chance. What amazes me is 9/11 comes along and everyone wants a war on terror, the same people that used to give money to these filth.
I know many in the south of Ireland who detest the IRA and you should read their agenda, it isn’t just ‘getting the North back’ (although if you knew Irish History you would also know Ulster has always been fiercely independemt even back to the hound of Culann and King Conchobar. It is about taking over Ireland, these people also made quite efficient Gangsters, murdering any Irishman that opposed them.
As for Gibralter, it wants to be British, not Spanish FACT.
British Imperialism has a lot to answer for as does American Imperialism both in its attrocoties against the Natives and also in its handling of Iraq, Nam etc. It is the human way.
Whatever though it does not excuse blowing up innocent people or do you think the twin towers also deserved what they got. I don’t

By: McKay Edwards

McKay Edwards — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 03:49:33 +0000

I was an American college student living in Onslow Gardens, South Ken in 1975. I think I may have heard the Walton’s Restaurant bomb on November 18th. Do you know the time of day that it went off? Evening sometime? I remember the dates because Bruce Springseen was playing Hammersmith Odeon on the 18th and 19th – I went on the 19th. Strange how normal life was in London during the bombings – tribute to the British “stiff upper lip”.

Best regards to my English friends,

McKay Edwards, Moab, Utah USA