Sheffield gang victim remembered 100 years after death

BBC News

27-04-2025

The family of a man who was murdered 100 years ago have travelled from Canada to South Yorkshire to honour his memory.World War One veteran William Plommer was killed on 27 April 1925 during Sheffield's gang wars when a group of men attacked him outside him home.Blacksmith and sculptor Sam Sherbourne created a plaque remembering Mr Plommer including the words Brave WP Fought Here, which is on the street where he died.Mr Plommer's grandson Alex Plommer said it was an "emotional" experience to see where his grandfather had passed away.
"I'm amazed at how many people have done so much to revive the history of what happened."It's amazing that someone took the effort to make the sculpture and revive what happened here," he said.
The event on Saturday had been co-organised by Mr Sherbourne, who said he was inspired by the story of Mr Plommer standing up to bullies.He said: "It's a story of one man standing up for the people of Sheffield and because of him the gangs were brought to an end earlier than they would have been because he set the ball rolling. His demise brought on the demise of the gangs."Mr Plommer, a former Army PE teacher and boxer, was stabbed outside his home on Princess Street, Attercliffe, aged 32.Brothers Lawrence Fowler and Wilfred Fowler were executed for their part in the murder.The incident led to the launch of the Sheffield Flying Squad, and the crushing of gang rule in the city. Thousands attended his funeral.
Alex Plommer said he knew nothing about his grandfather's death until he read about it in a Sunday newspaper aged 15."When I looked at it I couldn't believe what I was reading because I hadn't heard of it."I was seeing my dad's name and my uncle's name and all the family names. So I went to speak to my dad about it, and he wasn't too keen on telling me what happened," he said."He pretty much just said 'forget it' because it must have been a sad memory and he didn't want his kids to know what he went through, because it must have been dramatic for him to see his dad getting killed."He said hearing the story and walking the streets of Sheffield made him feel proud of his forebear."It was terrific to see my grandfather had done something, and out of something bad came something good. "Somebody came in and cleaned up the gangs and made life easier for the people who lived here. It was a sacrifice that turned out for the good."
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