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Tongland is a local nickname for the area of Calton, Glasgow controlled in the 1960s by a violent Scottish teenage gang called the Real Calton Tongs. The Tongs financed themselves using a protection racket, levying money on shops within their territory, and they marked that territory out in graffiti with their slogan "Tongs Ya Bass". [1]
There is no agreement on the origin of the name. One version (which may be apocryphal) is told thus: "In the 1960s, in an East-End cinema near Fielden Street, [2] some of a local Calton gang led by one McCabe were watching a film, The Terror of the Tongs . [3] about the Chinese secret society;
"...when McCabe shouted out 'Tongs ya Bass' for the first time. McCabe consequently renamed himself Terror McCabe". [4]
Calton in the 19th century was ruled by the brutal "San Toys" gang, [5] and that name was written with wildly varied spellings:, such as 'San Toi' in the 1930s. [6]
"Ya bass" is generally taken as Glasgow slang for "you bastard", though it has been proposed it could be the Gaelic war cry aigh bas meaning "battle and die". [7] Another Glasgow gang slogan was "Spur ya Bass" (this was the name of one of the two rival gangs from the Barrowfield area). [8] "Tongs Ya Bass" arguably became Glasgow's unofficial motto in the 1960s and 1970s. [9]
Tongland appears in Gillies MacKinnon's 1995 movie Small Faces, set in the 1960s, [10] although the setting for the gang's territory is actually the tower blocks of Sighthill. The Tongs and other gangs' power over the area and their decline in the 1970s is described in Janey Godley's 2005 autobiography, Handstands in the Dark. [11] The Scottish Tongs are referenced in Adam Ant's song "Crackpot History (and the right to lie)". The lyrics read: "Pumping is a splendid gift, I hope you will catch my drift. Some like pumping in the lift, just like the Scottish Tongs."
Pollokshields is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok Country Park and the Dumbreck neighbourhood beyond, by the Inverclyde Line railway and other branches which separate its territory from the largely industrial areas of Kinning Park, Kingston and Port Eglinton, and by the Glasgow South Western Line running from the east to south, bordering Govanhill, Strathbungo, Crossmyloof and Shawlands residential areas. There is also a suburban railway running through the area.
Shettleston is an area in the east end of Glasgow in Scotland.
Bridgeton is a district to the east of Glasgow city centre. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is bounded by Glasgow Green to the west, Dalmarnock to the east and south, Calton to the north-west at Abercromby Street/London Road and Broad street to the north-east.
Small Faces is a 1996 Scottish drama film directed by Gillies MacKinnon about gangs, specifically the Tongs, in 1960s Glasgow. It stars Iain Robertson, Joseph McFadden, Steven Duffy, Kevin McKidd, Laura Fraser, Mark McConnochie, Clare Higgins, Garry Sweeney, Colin McCredie and Alastair Galbraith.
Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the city.
Janey Godley is a Scottish stand-up comedian, actress and writer from Glasgow.
"Billy Boys", also titled "The Billy Boys", is a loyalist song from Glasgow, sung to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia." It originated in the 1920s as the signature song of one of the Glasgow razor gangs led by Billy Fullerton and later became viewed to reflect the long-running sectarian religious hatred directed by some Protestants against Catholics in the city. It is associated in particular with Rangers F.C.
Tong may refer to:
Calton, known locally as The Calton, is a district in Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and just to the east of the city centre. Calton's most famous landmark is the Barras street market and the Barrowland Ballroom, one of Glasgow's principal musical venues.
Easterhouse is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, 6 miles (10 km) east of the city centre on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of an expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. The area is on high ground north of the River Clyde and south of the River Kelvin and Campsie Fells.
Milton is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde. The housing scheme is about 2+1⁄2 miles north of Glasgow City Centre and forms part of the northern edge of the city's urban area.
Barrowfield is a neighbourhood of Glasgow, Scotland, close to Celtic Park, home of Celtic F.C., which lies immediately to the east. It is bounded by the A89 road (Gallowgate) to the north and the A74 to the south.
Ella Logan was a Scottish-American actress and singer who appeared on Broadway, recorded and had a nightclub career in the United States and internationally.
Green's Playhouse was an entertainment complex comprising a cinema, ballroom, tea rooms and other facilities. The Playhouse was at 126 Renfield Street, Glasgow, Scotland, commissioned by George Green Ltd, designed by the architect John Fairweather, and built by the Cinema Building Company. Opened in 1927, the Playhouse operated until the 1970s, a decline in audience numbers in the 1960s necessitated diversification as a music venue until closure in 1973. The building continued in use as the Apollo, after being acquired by Unicorn Leisure on a lease-holding arrangement, until final closure in 1985, with subsequent demolition in 1987.
The Terror of the Tongs is a 1961 British adventure film directed by Anthony Bushell and starring Geoffrey Toone, Christopher Lee and Yvonne Monlaur.
The Glasgow razor gangs were violent gangs that existed in the East End and South Side of Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1920s and 1930s and were named after their weapon of choice. H. Kingsley Long's novel No Mean City (1935) contains a fictionalised account of these gangs.
The Calton weavers were a community of handweavers established in the community of Calton, then in Lanarkshire just outside Glasgow, Scotland in the 18th century. In 1787 the weavers went on strike. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators and six weavers were killed. In the early 19th century, many of the weavers emigrated to Canada, settling in Carleton Place and other communities in eastern Ontario, where they continued their trade.
The Norman Conks were a large Catholic sectarian street gang active in Glasgow. It was one of the popular Glasgow razor gangs, and was active from the 1880s to the 1960s, with its territory and most of their members based about the Catholic area of Norman Street in Bridgeton. They were initially a penny mob, but evolved into a larger, influential gang. They were often involved in street fighting with the Protestant Billy Boys of Bridgeton, but were on friendlier terms with the Calton Tongs who were also mostly Catholic. The gang included young women.
The Quality Street Gang was a term used by the Scottish media to describe the Celtic reserve team of the late 1960s. Several of the group eventually replaced members of the Lisbon Lions team that had won the European Cup in 1967. George Connelly, Kenny Dalglish, Davie Hay, Danny McGrain, Lou Macari and Paul Wilson all went on to win major honours at Celtic and were capped by Scotland.
Gallowgate is a neighbourhood of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It takes its name from the major thoroughfare through the territory, which is part of the A89 road. Administratively, it is part of the Calton ward of the Glasgow City Council area.