Barking and District Historical Society

British unemployed riot against eviction

Unemployed members of the Dagenham Tenants Defense League were engaged in battles with the bailiffs and police who attempted to gain possession of a house on the L.C.C. estate at Beacontree, Essex, England. When the bailiffs tried to break down the back  door of the house with pickaxes, the unemployed retaliated with bricks and stones. Doors of the house were wrenched off their hinges and floor boards used for barricades. As the police eventually broke down the barricades, the men defending the houses  jumped out of the windows and were met by police armed with clubs. A Mrs. Harris, tenant, collapsed during the melee and had to receive medical treatment. Photo shows – A husky police officer carrying her away (ACME) 27 th  November 1932.