Sally Fairfax

Thousands of residents in Hull forced Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists to retreat from a 1936 rally at Corporation Field, disrupting his speech and clashing with Blackshirts despite heavy police presence. Historians say the confrontation, largely forgotten today, foreshadowed the later Battle of Cable Street and contributed to limiting the BUF’s rise. Local families recall the protest with pride, highlighting Hull’s early resistance to fascism.