The next post in our latest series – we are currently researching for another book called ‘Reporting For Duty’ – ‘On the 18th February 1978 a meeting of the Young National Front took place at Digbeth Civic Hall, in Birmingham city-centre.Up to 5,000 anti-National Front Demonstrators tried to breach police cordons to confront the NF. During the disturbances which followed eleven police officers were injured and a police helicopter equipped with close circuit television was used for the first time in the West Midlands.’ We are interested in hearing from retired officers who were at the demonstration as well as anyone with experiences to recount of policing in the West Midlands between 1974 to 1999. (The picture is of nearby Digbeth Police Station – courtesy of Deb Menzel) Mike Layton worked at Digbeth during his career. On the top floor were some single-men’s quarters, and the middle floor housed offices. On the left of the building was the cell block which played host to many a city-centre drunk, in the middle the parade room and to the right the front office and radio controllers office. A great place to work and full of character!

The second post in our next little series which relates to a new book we are conducting research on. ‘On the 15th August 1977 a political meeting was held by the National Front at Boulton Road School in Ladywood in connection with a bi-election. Members of the Socialist Workers Party staged a protest demonstration. In the violence that followed fifty-eight of the four hundred West Midlands Police officers on duty were injured. One officer Sue Bailey was hailed as a hero as she protected an injured colleague from missiles as she turned herself into a human shield.’ We are looking for recollections from anyone who was present at this demonstration and also any policing recollections or photographs for the period 1974 to 1999.

The first in a little series of posts containing some historical content with a plea for some help!! Our latest project is a book called ‘Reporting For Duty’which is already well underway in terms of written content. It will chart the history of the West Midlands Police from 1974 to 1999. In keeping with our other books we want to include a strong element of recollections from people with first-hand knowledge of some of the events we are going to cover. Any submissions will of course be credited in the book to the individual. Today’s plea – ‘On the 15th May 1976 a demonstration took place outside HM Prison Winson Green in Birmingham in support of Robert Relf who had been jailed for contempt of court. He was the first person to be jailed under the Race Relations act for refusing to take down a ‘for sale’ sign’ from outside his house which read ‘Viewing. To avoid animosity all round positively no coloureds’ In what was to become known as the ‘Battle of Winson Green’ police officers found themselves fighting to keep rival factions of the National Front and Anti-Fascist Committee apart. Sixty-nine officers were injured and twenty-eight arrests made.’ Please get in touch if you can recall the incident. On a wider note we are looking for non-copyrighted photos of that twenty-five year period which could add some depth to the written commentary.