General Strike 1926: a riverside clash in Charlton

It is now a hundred years since the General Strike of May 1926, when workers all over the country walked out on strike in support of miners. The strike was strongly supported in South London industries, and there were major clashes with police. One such episode took place by the Charlton riverfront, where the Medway Oil and Storage Company had a fuel depot storing petrol. This was on North Street, now Herringham Road near to the Thames Barrier.On the night of Sunday May 9th, a crowd of 800 people were apparently marching towards the depot, presumably with the aim of stopping it operating during the strike. The police tried to disperse the crowd in West Street (now Westmoor Street) and there was at least 20 minutes of intense fighting with the police launching baton charges and the crowd launching a 'murderous volley of missiles' at the police including stones, bottles, and pieces of iron. Or at least that was the police account. Four local men were arrested - Frederick Jay, Henry…