Mods and Rockers – Hastings seafront in 1964

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photo source: Patrick Batty – Hastings and St Leonards Pictures and Videos https://www.facebook.com/groups/340548556033905/permalink/1144815058940580/

Patrick Batty… Anyone remember when the Mods & Rocker hit town & there was a battle on the beaches between them. My first vehicle was a Vespa scooter which I soon exchanged for a motorbike so you could say I was both a Mod & a Rocker but I wasnt involved in this battle in 1964.

Mick Knights… I was out of town camping with a few friends, I do remember being stopped by the boys in blue when we tried to get back into town on the Sunday. I did take a ride along the sea front on my elderly Vespa 125cc where there were lines of abandoned scooters, as their owners had been marched out of town and we’re not being allowed back to collect them. These days that kind of policing would most probably be against their human rights!

John Williams… I was one parked outside The Albion down from Peckham

Jan Warren… Love this …… and Quadraphenia is one of my all-time fave films!! 

John Williams… Well it was just like that we were good boys

Mick O’Dowd… I was there. I worked in what is now the Italian Way by the Roundabout & Fountain. Watched it all happen from upstairs window.

Alan Esdaile… I remember being on the West Hill with my mates, collecting all the discarded Corona bottles and taking them back to the shop to get back the deposits.

Dave Nattress… Greatly nostalgic. I do recall troubles on and off, although I was only 11 in 64. Later when at Hastings College several class-mates came over from Eastbourne on scooters – mainly or maybe exclusively Lambrettas. Bexhill, where I lived, also has its fair share of scooters and all in all, lots of mates had scooters or bikes. Some of my friends now have pukka bikes. My old man, when asked by me, to lend me a few quid to buy a Yamaha 80 in about 1969 said no, you’ll kill yourself, wait till you’re 17 and get a car – which I did. A few good mates have gone, bikes/cars. Does anyone recall the Hell’s Angels “Branded” chapter based around Bexhill and Hastings for a few years. Several mates were in and often the guys used to drink at the Castle in Town Hall Square Bexhill.

Chris Sambrook… I was  11 in 1964. We lived along Bexhill Road. There was a constant roar of Motorbikes. 2 Mods broke down outside our house. My Mum invited them in for a Cup of Tea. From what i remember they seemed ok and grateful. They manged to get their scooter repaired and mum   said to them stay out of trouble. To be fair my Mum & Dad later said they would have done the same for the Rockers.

Pete Fisher… watched the Mods being marched out of town from my bedroom window in Fairlight Road…

John Williams… We was not marched we was assisted lol. We slept in the cave at top of rock nore cambered up there good fun.

Pete Fisher… sorry, I meant gently guided…!!! (I was only 9!)

Tony Davis… I can remember the man who lived opposite me in Plynlimmon Road has one of these big Ford Consul cars and he drove me around town in it to see all the mods and rockers. I was about 11 at the time. I remember us driving around the roundabout outside the Italian Way three of four times. Think the IT was called Iorio’s then.

John Williams… There you go me and my old mum on my scooter in Peckham up the mods

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Chris Leek… Takes me back, I remember I had never seen so many people on the sea front and the noise and when I got up to the west hill they were up there to.

Jan Warren… Yeah Dave I remember all the bikes and scooters in Bexhill, we all used to hang out on the seafront in Fortes Coffee Bar and “Ags”, the Amusement Arcade, especially downstairs where they had a juke box and pinball machines!! – I also remember The Castle pub being a bit of a bikers pub in those days!!

John Williams… We slept in the cave at top of rock nore cambered up there good fun

Monica Bane… I remember so well! Living in Tackle way when they all jumped off the hill in front of my house!

Madeline Scalliwags Reade… I remember it so well. My parents had the Guest House over the top of Faggins. The police were chasing them up Oak passage blowing their whistles.

Jeanette Griffiths… I was 10 and remember standing on Winkle Island watching all the scooters coming down The Bourne. We were always a biker family so more sympathetic towards the Rockers. A much more innocent time when lads having a punch up didn’t involve knives and guns, just fists (mostly)

Dennis Torrance… Remember going up the west hill so many mods and rockers about and meeting my mum from work old town quite frightening as was 11 lot of pushing I remember so packed saw a few fights to

Alan Esdaile… remember being on the west hill at the same time.

Gerry Fortsch… My dad would not let me out of the house, lucky really as two of my rocker mates got arrested. I loved motor bikes but was not keen on the rockers music funny really as the mods choice of music was more to my taste. I wasn’t many years later that the bikers got into what was mod music with bands like The Who.

Graham Matthews… We lived in Staplecross, I was only 9 years old and my Dad took us down to see it. When it started to get a bit exciting Mum managed to talk Dad into taking us home and be safe, he was a bit of a fighter if upset and it may have not been a happy ending to the day had we stayed.

John Williams… I was one of them mods down hastings can I now please apologize for my behaviour God it was fun, up the mods. ps them deck chairs were heavy lol

Kev Carleonis… Look at all the white skinned people.

Claire Triance… Those were the best days I think though i was just a kid

Dave Nattress… Hi Jan, we must have crossed paths many a time in Bexhill-late 60’s into the 70’s – same places and memories. I went to school with Warren would he have been your brother. I recall after school he became a longhair like me.

Leslie… I was there in 1964 and remember the beach battle and how it started. I remember all being rounded up and marched out of Hastings,  I remember taking French Blues and Purple Hearts, I remember so many scooters and sharing accommodation on a new building site of houses with rockers during the night, I remember driving home to London in pouring rain, my parker soaked to the skin. My Parker Korean War I still have in the loft. I was born in 1944

6 thoughts on “Mods and Rockers – Hastings seafront in 1964”

  1. Greatly nostalgic. I do recall troubles on and off, although I was only 11 in 64. Later when at Hastings College several class-mates came over from Eastbourne on scooters – mainly or maybe exclusively Lambrettas. Bexhill, where I lived, also has its fair share of scooters and all in all, lots of mates had scooters or bikes. Some of my friends now have pukka bikes. My old man, when asked by me, to lend me a few quid to buy a Yamaha 80 in about 1969 said no, you’ll kill yourself, wait till you’re 17 and get a car – which I did. A few good mates have gone, bikes/cars. Does anyone recall the Hell’s Angels “Branded” chapter based around Bexhill and Hastings for a few years. Several mates were in and often the guys used to drink at the Castle in Town Hall Square Bexhill.

    Reply
  2. I was 11 in 1964. We lived along Bexhill Road. There was a constant roar of Motorbikes.
    2 Mods broke down outside our house. My Mum invited them in for a Cup of Tea. From what i remember they seemed ok and grateful. They manged to get their scooter repaired and mum said to them stay out of trouble. To be fair my Mum & Dad later said they would have done the same for the Rockers.

    Reply
  3. I was 10 and remember standing on Winkle Island watching all the scooters coming down The Bourne. We were always a biker family so more sympathetic towards the Rockers. A much more innocent time when lads having a punch up didn’t involve knives and guns, just fists (mostly)

    Reply
  4. Hi Jan

    We must have crossed paths many a time in Bexhill-late 60’s into the 70’s – same places and memories. I went to school with Warren would he have been your brother. I recall after school he became a longhair like me,

    Reply
  5. I was there in 1964 and remember the beach battle and how it started.
    I remember all being rounded up and marched out of Hastings
    I remember taking French Blues and Purple Hearts
    I remember so many scooters and sharing accommodation on a new building site of houses with rockers during the night
    I remember driving home to London in pouring rain my Parker soaked to the skin. My Parker Korean War I still have in the loft.
    I was born in 1944

    Reply

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