# Saturday Night Punchup! Part I



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

One night that I was on duty, I was lucky enough to be given the observer's position on the east area patrol car. This was an extremely coveted position, especially on a Saturday night. My driver was Ro-Ro, and we got on well together. We were just driving along Crown Street by The Cricketer's Hotel after leaving the police station, when Bravo Control called us up and directed us to attend a major fight outside the Manor Ballroom in Woodbridge Road.
A bunch of leather-jacketed yobs had gone into the dance hall to see what trouble they could get up to, when they came across a young black man dancing with a pretty, young white girl. They were more than a little peeved at this, as no girls wanted to dance with them, especially in their drunken, dishevelled condition.
They grabbed hold of the young black man and dragged him away from the protesting girl, through the crowded dance floor, and out of the dance hall. After forming into a circle in the middle of Woodbridge Road, they were punching and kicking the young black man back and forwards between themselves.
Walking along St. Margaret's Road towards his house in Woodbridge Road, Charlie Dozzel... a middle-aged American black man, saw what was going on. He knew if he confronted the yobs directly, they would turn on him... and he would be the next one in line for a good kicking.
He ran past them, close by the crowds coming out of the Manor Ballroom to watch the fight in the street, and made it to his house without being noticed. Grabbing a cut-throat raiser from his bathroom cabinet, he ran back along Woodbridge Road to where the young black man was being beaten.
Knowing there was little he could do, if he didn't want to end up with a kicking himself, he grabbed the ring-leader of the gang... the shortest man with the biggest mouth... and slashed him with his cut-throat raiser across his face. Before the yobs realised what had just happened, he turned and ran back to his house, with David Hockley in close pursuit.
By the time we arrived in the area car, there were crowds all around blocking the street. Ro-Ro went to look at the injured man to see how bad his injuries were. The left side of Tommy Adam's face had been sliced wide open from ear to his chin, and his cheek was hanging wide open showing his teeth. When Ro-Ro later gave evidence in court, he said that he couldn't put a dressing over the wound, because he would have swallowed it.
I ran down Woodbridge Road in the direction of a lot of shouting. David Hockley... one of the leather-jacketed gobs... was banging his fists and kicking with his feet at the front door of number eight. Just as I got up behind him, the door opened and Charlie Dozzel and another black man stood there with pint beer bottles in both of their hands.
"Ain't it a good job that I'm here?" I said to David Hockley. "Just another minute and those black guys would have sliced you up and flushed you down the toilet in small pieces."
Charlie Dozzel and his mate put down their bottles on seeing me, and Charlie Dozzel put his arms out in front of him, as if to have hand-cuffs put on him. "It's my fault," he admitted. "I did it, but I couldn't watch those bastards beat up that young lad just because he's black."
"I should be arresting the man you cut," I put to him. "But you used a weapon, so I have to take you into custody." I told him that he was under arrest and read him his rights, then escorted him back to the police car to take him to the police station. 
It was a good job that I was there, or he would have been cut to pieces. The angry crowd was baying for more blood. I had to radio Bravo Control to phone the fire service to attend the scene in order to wash the copious amount of blood off the road. 
To be continued. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## David K (Feb 28, 2007)

*Friday and Saturday Nights "on shift"*

... The most exciting place to be in Town, on a Friday or Saturday night, is in the front seat of a Police Cruiser. Even better, if it's a Traffic Car then you can go anywhere, have fun and not much paperwork! You get to go to ALL the Best Parties in Town, drive a high powered car like an idiot, hang around Donut Shops as long as you like, and they never tell you the seat is needed for someone else or otherwise ask you to leave! (Thumb)(Thumb).... David K


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For David K.*

Good to hear from you, David K. I only spent six years as a police officer, back in my youth in the late sixties, before I started running my own tall ship charter business, sailing out into the North Sea and English Channel. I applied to join a week after my nineteenth birthday, at the end of January, 1965, and swore my oath to the Queen and signed the articles of enrolment in the Ipswich Police Force six weeks later on 8th March, 1965.
Other than for delivering agony messages... telling relatives that one of their loved ones had suddenly died... I really enjoyed myself. And as you know, the best part of your shift... especially on the night shift... was to be given the position as observer on one of the two area cars of the town.
At seventy years old, I've never driven a car, so have never been the driver of an area car, let alone one of the Brillcream Boys, who drove the traffic cars. A week after turning eighteen years of age, I bought my first ship... the 42 foot Whitstable smack, Blue Bell... with the dream of sailing her around the world. I never did sail her around the world, but I did my forth ship, Début.
I always look back at those six years as a police officer with fond memories, especially the guys in 'Y' Section. My book, 'From Beat to Open Deck', covers those six years of service, so if you would like to read about being in the police force back in the late sixties, go to the Book Forum for the Kindle code and enjoy the read. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## David K (Feb 28, 2007)

*Life has mostly been fun and exciting!With seldom a dull moment!*

... 'Did 25 years as a "Mountie", with stints/postings at Vancouver Airport, and elsewhere in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, General Duty,Traffic, including riding a Harley, when the mood struck, Marine Division, and lastly, a Unit that provided Security to Diplomats and visiting VIPs. All in all, life has been good to me, with interesting work and career choices. ... Now, I definitely can appreciate Retirement and living in a beautiful part of British Columbia, and I can't imagine living anywhere but here, in Canada !(Thumb) ..... David K


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For David K.*

Good to hear from you, David K, you seem to have had an exciting life as me. As far as I'm concerned, the most important thing in life is adventure. I served six years as a foot beat officer, never having ever driven a motor vehicle in my life... I bought my first ship only a week after my eighteenth birthday, and soon realised that if I wanted to explore my dream of sailing all over the world, I'd better keep away from motor vehicles, as they are a money pit, almost as deep as owning ships.
I had to work right up to my 65th birthday to be eligible to claim a state pension, having spent fifteen years roaming the world on board my last two ships. I spent the last ten years of my working life as a night security person at the Salvation Army Hostel in Ipswich for homeless men, where I was confronted with more violence than working as a police officer. The inmates only had to ask me nicely, and I would give them all the grief that they yearned for.
Now at 70 years old, I'm also happy in my retirement, with all my memories of my world adventures to keep me company. Along with all my Ship's logbooks and photograph albums to help me to remember, I've written nine books, and have published eight of them with Amazon on their Kindle website... the last book is now in the editing stage, and I hope to have it published by Christmas. For more information, go to the Books Forum to downloaded the Kindle code.
My ex-wife, Mariana, lives a mile or so from me, with our youngest two daughters occupying flats in the same block with four of our six grandchildren... so I can enjoy having my family all around me whenever I wish.
We'll all have a long time to reflect on our lives as we look up at the lid, so we'd better enjoy it while we are here. All the best to you, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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