It is exactly 100 years ago today that the RMS Lusitania was sunk off the coast of Ireland by a German submarine with the loss of 1,198 men, women and children.
This act of war which caused repercussions throughout the country, and would eventually lead to the American entry into the First World War.
It caused outrage throughout the counrty and over the next days and weeks Salford and Eccles would see rioting against German shops and immigrants as never seen before.
Eccles and Patricoft was to see some of the worst looting in civil disobedience on the evening of Saturday May 10 when large crowds began to gather in Eccles town centre and all eager for trouble.
A large mob attacked a butchers shop at 104 Church Street, Eccles which belonged to a Mr Kustner, rumours spread amongst the mob that he was a German soldier who was guarding British prisoners of war in Germany whilst his wife was alone at the shop.
Mrs Kustner emptied her window and drew down the wooden blinds as a safety precaution which for a while seemed to pacify the angry mob who were outside booing and shouting insults.
The mob then turned their attention to the Albert Edward public house on Church Street in a location then called Lower Cross next facing the Carnegie Library.
The landlord was Mr Oscar Lorenz who was a naturalised Austrian, the police had visited his premises earlier and had advised hm to leave the Borough as soon as he could.
The Eccles Journal reported that the mob outside had now grown to 2,000 strong and were blocking the tram lines from Patricroft, the ages of the mob ranged from six years old to 14 years old which was swelled with adults as the evening went on.
The mob armed theirselves with bricks from a nearby building site and began bombarding the pub, shattering every window, the police were powerless to stop the mob who then began to hurl bricks at mirrors and glasses in the pub, smashing everything inside.
A crowd charged the police line and attempted to get in the Albert Edward to complete their trail of destruction and intent on destroying the building.
Several men managed to force their way into the pub to steal bottles of beers, strangely enough the only casualty was a soldier home on leave who was struck on the head thrown by the mob as he attempted to gain entry into the pub, he sustained a nasty cut and decided to go home.
Meanwhile another large crowd had gathered at Patricroft Bridge and demonstrated outside a second hand clothing shop on Worsley Road belonging to a Mrs Wunstorf whose husband had been employed at the Eccles Rubber Works, ironically she was from Patricroft, but this was not to save her.
The police put a cordon on Patricroft Bridge and another on Worsley Road, so that the mob couldn’t launch a frontal attack on the shop.
Undeterred the attackers waited until it was dark and crept along the canal towpath and started to smash all the windows in the shop causing untold damage.
Back in Eccles town centre the mob turned away from the Albert Edward and made their way back to Mrs Kustner’s butchers shop in Church Street and at 10.30 am a mob rushed past the police stationed outside and began to attack the premises.
A dozen women pulled and twisted open the wooden shutters then smashed the plate glass window, were they stole meat and sausages which had been in the window.
At the rear of the premises a mob smashed their way in and began to systematically wreck the property, an upstairs window was thrown open followed by sheets, furniture bedding being thrown into the street.
The inside of the house was completely wrecked with a piano being found smashed to pieces, plates and crockery smashed, clocks, brass fittings ripped down even electric cables were ripped out.
The Eccles Journal reported that Councillor Clayton who was a special constable in the Borough stood on a chair and appealed to the mob to stop, they asked him to show him his constables badge, whenn he opened his coat, his truncheon fell on the floor the mob rushe forward to steal it and Coucillor Clayton was kicked and punched for his troubles.
The evenings destruction wasn’t yet over as the mob turned their attention on Mrs Theopolds confectionery shop on Church Street.
Mrs Theopold was British and her husband Mr Theopold was a Geman but he had been dead for several years, the mob tried to justify their attack on their premises by stating that her daughters had married German’s and were therefore guilty.
The shop windows were smashed and sweeets were stolen, a young girl sustained a cut to her hand by the broken glass.
A large number of special constables were drafted into the area to contain the violence with mounted policemen sent to patrol along Church street throughout the night, they kept the crowd moving along and stopped any further violence.
Eventually law and order was restored to the streets of Eccles but a special court sitting was held to deal with those arrested.
10 men and and boys, women and girls appeared in court and were each fined 10 shillings and sixpence with costs or the alternative ofn 14 days imprisonment.
The value of the property recovered was £18 but the total value of the articles stolen or destroyed was between £1000-£3000.
