One Hull Of A Story: The Made-Up Major General
An Englishman's home is his castle. And when the bulldozers knocked down Barry's house, he built a castle out of the rubble.
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Back in 1983, one man took a stand against the establishment in what has to be one of the most unusual and eccentric ways. Barry Nuttall made national headlines when Hull City Council attempted to demolish his terraced house on Melbourne Grove, off Derringham Street in Hull. The council wanted to clear the area, for redevelopment, but Barry refused to move. While all around him gave in and moved out of the neighbourhood, Barry stood his ground.
What made Barry so unusual, wasn't just his stand against the local authorities, the police and the bulldozers. Barry from Hull was a self-styled American Major General, who along with his friends formed the Northern Allied-Axis Society, a military re-enactment society. They had full military grab, and vehicles at their disposal. And they used them, to fend off the council. That was until a compulsory purchase order was enacted, and the bulldozers finally move in and demolished his house. |
Among the demolition rubble, that looked like a scene from a WWII movie, Barry and his comrades built a make-shift camp. Soon they had built a small castle out the rubble of Barry's house. Along with his friends they manned the barricades. Eventually Major General Barry and his troops were pushed back further into the wastelands, setting up a camp near Wyndham Street, that remained there for 3 years. Now with camp fully established, Barry was set for what would be his war of attrition. There was a huge ground swell of local support for Barry, he regularly received supply drops from local well-wishers in Hull. Only ever leaving the encampment to deliver a petition to the House of Commons, and to marry his second wife Alyson, who lived at the camp with Barry. For the wedding the self-appointed Major General, wore his General's dress uniform especially for the occasion. Such was the out-pouring of local support for Barry, that local boy made good, singing star Joe Longthorne loaned the happy couple his Cadillac to take them to the church. Eventually the powers that be won out, and Barry was forced out of his camp. He settled with Alyson and their children in North Hull, where he a remained a larger than life character.
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