The Black Knights

Daily Mirror, 1964 -'Pop' boy's van held together  by wire

The 19- year old leader of a Liverpool pop group, the Black Knights told a police man who stopped his van, that only wire held it together, a court heard yesterday. PC John Laird told the court at Birkenhead, Cheshire, that when the van started off again the rear door flew open and the driver called to him: "any chance of some string, I've no more left."  Police Constable Laird said he stopped  the van at 12.55 a.m. at the Liverpool entrance of the Mersey tunnel and he said that wire held on the exhaust, held on the rear off side wing; kept a rear door closed; secured the rear door; held on the offside panel. Also another rear door was jammed closed with paper, the front passenger door would not open and other parts where corroded and jagged.  Driving the van was William Ernest Kenny 19 of  Palermo Street, Wallasey, Cheshire, who, said P.C. Laird, was the leader of the Black Knights group. P.C. Laird said that Kenny told him "Its only the wire that keeps it together. but what about me?- I drive it?" Kenny did not appeal. but in a letter to the court he said he was not the owner of the van. He added that it was M.O.T tested and he assumed that it was fit to be used on  the road despite its rather rough appearance. He admitted using the van in a dangerous condition and was fined £5.

Alan Schroeder adds the following postscript - "No, I was not  in the van at the time, and am completely innocent. William Kenny wasn't driving the van either, it was our manager, Norman Hurst. Norman lived in  Aberdeen St, Liverpool 8. He  didn't have a full driving licence so he used Bill's name .

The picture shows Alan Schroeder and Ken Griffiths and definitely not the van in question. Karl Terry has asked if Alan would consider selling the wire and string as spares for his van !                

Thanks to Alan Schroeder for picture and story , more pics of the Black Knights to follow.