Title: 17th October 1970
Creative partners: Francesca Baker-Brooker (writer) and Jessie Simmons (photographer)
The artwork: The successful bidder will receive a one-off, hand-printed black & white silver gelatin print. The print will be offered in the buyer’s choice of size: 6 × 8 in, 8 × 10 in, 9.5 × 12 in or 12 × 15 in. Paper choice: Resin Coated (Gloss or Pearl), Fibre Based (Soft Gloss or Matt)
The writing: Poem reflecting bikers’ clash on Chelsea Bridge on 17th October 1970 and the death of Brian, through the eyes of his wife.
CHELSEA BRIDGE
Francesca Baker-Brooker
The bike was his baby
A petrol fuelled weapon of war
I nursed our own child in the cradle
As Brian went out to set the score
Fighting for status, girls and power
Their territory up at stake
They said a harmless rivalry
Until our future it did make
The thunder of the engine
The vibrating torturous sound
Road Rats, Windsor Angels, Nightingales, Jokers
All refusing to let their ground
They met on Saturday night
Heading out just after nine
My husband kissed me on the head
And told me it would all be simply fine
Chains, iron bars, knives
and in hands a sawn-off shotgun
My wet eyes turned down low
Hoping he’d be home before the sun
A chain whip crack flickered
On a fractured still night
The roar of the engine pulsed
Surging forward for a fight
They crossed the city spine
For a clash beneath cables
The Thames whispering beneath
Pretending our world is stable
As the iron crossing stood
Casting shadows over water
I shivered waiting patiently
Nursing our baby daughter
It’s a myth that’s etched in time
In the rivets and the beams
Only echoes of the riders
Still reverberate in its seams
Forging scars beneath the streetlight
Brian “Beret” Harris on his bike
A simmering tension underneath
A flash, a tear, the fateful strike
17th October 1970
A night scored in my heart
When rival gangs on fuelled up bikes
Clashed and tore my world apart
I take Ellie out for walks
We cross from one side to the other
That fateful Chelsea bridge
And I feel closer to my lover