Who was known as?

[dunsbyowl1867]

The "Cellar grate gang" & why?

[Guest Gramps]

Dunno who the gang were, but the ubiquitous cellar grate was frequently used as a weapon in the rougher parts of town, notably Attercliffe. Just about every terraced house had a cellar grate under the front window.

[Bayleaf]

Or were they a gang of housebreakers who specialised in getting in via the cellar grate?

[HughW]

A gang from the 'Sheffield Gang Wars' - specialized in throwing your cellar grate through your front-room window, and/or assaulting you with the grate (a handy weapon). Apparently this was known as being 'grated'. (information from SheffieldForum)

Hugh

[dunsbyowl1867]

A gang from the 'Sheffield Gang Wars' - specialized in throwing your cellar grate through your front-room window, and/or assaulting you with the grate (a handy weapon). Apparently this was known as being 'grated'. (information from SheffieldForum)

Hugh

Thanks Hugh

My mum's cousin went to school with one of the Mooney's and reckoned that the Mooney gang were know as that ? And they say things are bad now!

[ceegee]

Whilst on the subject of gangs, can anyone throw any light of activities etc. of the "gas tank" and "red silk" gangs who were active in Sheffield during the the first decades of the twentieth century.

[chalky]

Whilst on the subject of gangs, can anyone throw any light of activities etc. of the "gas tank" and "red silk" gangs who were active in Sheffield during the the first decades of the twentieth century.

Seem to remember my father telling me he was in the "Red Silk" gang, They and the "Gas Tank" gang were from an area at the bottom of the moor if my memory serves me well, my father would have been 104 this year (2008).

[popt]

My father used to talk about the red silk gang who were around before WW1.

He said they wore a red silk neckerchief around their neck knotted at the front.

They carried a cut-throat razor hidden in the neb of their cloth caps.

These razors were used like knuckle dusters with the fingers behind the blade and the thumb holding the blade open, sounds like a terrible weapon if used in a fist fight.

It appears there were another gang who wore white silk neckerchiefs and were rivals to the red silk gang.

Some of the gang signed up early for the war before they were apprehended, of course there wasn't the mobility of police forces in those days and it was difficult to gain evidence against anybody.

Good Old Days??? PopT