Over Easter Weekend in 1964, two gangs from opposite sides of the cultural spectrum clashed at Clacton-on-Sea. It would never happen now
“Clacton on Sea,” proclaimed an advert in the Daily Mirror on Easter Saturday, 1964: “Seven Miles of Golden Sands. Beautiful Gardens. Fast Electric Trains from London.” Yet any holidaymakers who made the trip probably wished they had stayed at home, not just because it was the coldest Easter since 1883, but primarily on account of the visiting rival groups of young Londoners whose behaviour dominated the following day’s newspaper headlines.
“‘Wild Ones’ Invade Seaside – 90 Arrests” said the Mirror’s front page, drawing a parallel with the 1953 Marlon Brando biker film, blaming the trouble on “1,000 fighting, drinking, roaring, rampaging teenagers on scooters and motorcycles”.
