Calls to commemorate Battle of Corporation Field

RUN OUT OF HULL: British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley, right, pictured with Italian fascist Benito Mussolini

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Labour councillors will propose a motion next week calling on the city council to commemorate the 1936 Battle of Corporation Field as the event nears its 90th anniversary.

On July 13, 1936, Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists were run out of the city by a crowd of anti-fascists, socialists, trade unionists and members of the city’s Jewish and Irish communities, when they attempted to hold a rally at Corporation Field.

While similar events that happened in the 1930s at Holbeck Moor in Leeds, Stockton in Stockton-on-Tees, and most famously at Cable Street in London, all have their own memorials, the Battle of Corporation Field does not. The motion calls for the leader of the council, Councillor Mike Ross, to allocate funding from his contingency fund to kick-start the process of organising a memorial.

Labour Councillor Shane McMurray, who represents Central ward where the event took place, said: “Hull has a proud history as a diverse and welcoming city, one which has stood up to fascism in the past. It’s so important we remember this history and keep these values alive in the present day.

“It’s a shame that the Battle of Corporation Field is not as well-known as the Battle of Cable Street and other events: hopefully we can put this right and give Hull the permanent memorial it deserves.”

Councillor Haroldo Herrera-Richmond, who represents St Andrews & Docklands ward for Labour and came to Hull in the 1970s as a refugee from fascism in Chile, said: “We have a duty to stand up to fascism, anti-semitism and all forms of racism wherever they rear their heads. I am proud of Hull’s history of anti-fascism, not least because it gave sanctuary to my own family when we needed it most.

“I hope councillors of all parties will support this motion so that we can do the right thing and make sure our forebears who stood up to Mosley in 1936 can be properly remembered.”

The site of Corporation Field is now occupied by St Stephen’s shopping centre and the adjoining Tesco Extra car park. The motion asks the council to work with the current landowners to find a way of commemorating the 1936 event.

The motion will be heard at the full meeting of Hull City Council on Thursday, July 16.