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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Nazi Salute at Police Boxing Contest


Police Boxing Contest at Harringay Arena, 1938 (The voiceover says Stadium, but it's incorrect. This event was in the Arena). H Davis of Nottingham fighting against Herr Kamfer of Berlin in a boxing match. The German boxer wins on points; he makes the Nazi salute before shaking hands with his opponent. Then A Porter of Colchester fights G Holten of Nottingham; Porter wins.


Views: 225

Tags (All lower case. Use " " for multiple word tags): Historical Harringay Video, boxing, harringay arena, police

Comment by Hugh on January 20, 2010 at 11:00
Just gotta love "The judges thought it oughta be a win for Mr Porter".
Comment by StephenBln on January 20, 2010 at 12:21

That was definitely ein 'Deutscher Gruß' or German Greeting/Salute

BTW, my dictionary strangely translates Englischer Gruß (English Greeting) as 'Angelic salutation' :o)

http://dict.leo.org/ende?lp=ende&lang=de&searchLoc=0&cm...

Comment by Hugh on January 20, 2010 at 12:26
Should anyone want to follow through on Stephen's mention of Deutscher Gruß
Comment by StephenBln on January 21, 2010 at 10:51
Thanks for the link Hugh.. Just one point.. the wiki article makes it clear why the German Boxer saluted.. it was customary for people who belong to the same social group to raise the right arm at an angle so that the palm becomes visible.
Sometimes people forget about the 'socialist bit' in the german national socialist party and that was why there was outrage when the German ambassador in the UK saluted King George VI in the late 1930s .. it was seen (from both sides) as an insult..
Comment by hob on January 21, 2010 at 13:52
Watch it at 22 seconds. I think you are watching end of second fight.
Comment by Hugh on January 21, 2010 at 13:54

Comment by Liz on January 21, 2010 at 14:10
I agree with you hob, (it took me a minute to realise that there were two fights on the clip), maybe you are watching the second fight James.

The boxer clearly pauses, raises his hand in a nazi salute, even clicks his heels a little then rushes forward. Seems shocking to us now but in 1938, he may have had to explain to his superiors why he *hadn't* done it, since I assume the boxer was a police officer.
Comment by StephenBln on January 21, 2010 at 14:44
@ Barbara, yes v.Rib probably was what you called called him. I myself would say that he was someone with a very big personality problem.. BUT you shouldn't let hindsight cloud your view of his visit to Harringay. Von Ribbentrop was well thought of in certain tory circles of the time.. In fact he was very close to Lord and Lady Londonderry often staying at their country residence.. plenty of others from other parties were also quite taken by the (pre-war) N+zi party's policies on job creation (albeit that the jobs were often created by making jewish civil servants and others (social democrats) jobless).. most people were unaware at that time that the holocaust would follow.. and many in Britain/London/Harringay were also anti-semitic.. I can even remember in my childhood (post-war) that anti-semitic remarks were often made.. so maybe we were bastards too?

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