Soldiers turned away from bar after funeral (Liverpool, UK)

Daily Mail ^ | 11-24-06 | Staff

[atomic conspiracy]

Soldiers turned away from bar after funeral Last updated at 16:05pm on 24th November 2006

Two Royal Marines were refused entry to a bar just hours after a colleague's funeral because they were in uniform.

The two servicemen went for a drink at the Walkabout bar in Liverpool city centre following the funeral of Corporal Ben Nowak at the city's Anglican cathedral.

Cpl Nowak, 27, who served with 45 Commando, was one of four people killed in a bomb attack on a patrol boat in southern Iraq on Remembrance Sunday.

His two colleagues, who were among 1,000 mourners at yesterday's funeral, were turned away by staff at the door of the bar. Stunned bystanders shouted at the bouncers and told them to show respect to the servicemen.

Student Ben Booth, who witnessed the event, said he was shocked by what he saw. He told BBC Radio Merseyside's phone-in show: "I spoke to the bouncers and said their colleague had just died in the service of our Government. I am absolutely shocked that people would act this way to our soldiers."

A spokesman for Walkabout said: "As a responsible bar operator, we have a strict policy of refusing entry to anyone believed to be aggressive.

"Furthermore, Walkabout in Liverpool has a strict policy of refusing entry to anyone in uniform due to previous issues with uniformed customers. These policies are designed solely to increase the safety and comfort of all our customers.

"Two of the group were in uniform and doorstaff believed that other members of the group were behaving aggressively, so they were refused admission."

The spokesman offered his condolences to Cpl Nowak's friends, comrades and family and offered the group who were turned away a complimentary lunch. He stressed the soldiers must not be in uniform.

[atomic conspiracy]

This is similar to the incident at Harrods on Remembrance Day, when a uniformed soldier was turned away at the door.

[Lurker]

"It's Tommy this and Tommy that,
and "Chuck him out, the brute".

Kipling.

L

[Riley]

Looks like Tommy can't even catch a break 'when the guns begin to shoot' anymore.

Shameful.

[Lurker]

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

You can bet that Tommy seees.

L

[Riley]

And Royals, at that.

Wish I had a load of money- I'd open the 'Globe and Anchor' across the street and bury the Walkabout.

[Riley]

http://www.walkaboutinns.com/010/LIV/intro.html

It's a chain.

[battlegearboat]

This reminds me of my days as a sailor in San Diego in 1968/69.

The city was overrun with sailors and marines and the tension was high.

Many establishments would not admit servicemen.

[CPOSharky]

Time for dungaree liberty.

[Lurker]

The city was overrun with sailors and marines and the tension was high.

We had a solution for that 'tension'. We made sure that our Corpsman went out drinking with us.

I don't think he minded. He never had to buy his own beer.

L

[atomic conspiracy]

Thanks for the link. It's interesting that these yuppie snots uses an ersatz Aussie theme.

Apparently not all uniforms are verboten: Walkabout's kangaroo mascot

[battlegearboat]

I was underage and had to depend on a tiny bar outside the 32nd St. Naval Station or go to Tijuana for a beer.

I believe it cost $3.00 for a roundtrip bus ticket from downtown San Diego to the border and back.

[Northern Yankee]

Yep... when Muslim terrorists come to blow up their "establishments", I am sure they will have wished they would have had no such policy.

These people are gonna destroy their country from within.

[Lurker]

I believe it cost $3.00 for a roundtrip bus ticket from downtown San Diego to the border and back.

IIRC it was something less than $10 when I was doing it. Funny thing...I can always remember the trip down. It's the trip back that's a bit hazy.

L

[Cheapskate]

What in the blue hell is goin on over there.

then I looked up and saw it was in Liverpool!

You might be right!!!

[Gideon Reader]

I believe the rules for operating a "Pub" or Public House are grounded and governed by a set of rules, statutes covering refusal of service.
Was it a Pub or a privately held club or bar?
Private property?
Written policy?
Past problems?
I see no difficulty IF, IF the refusal was performed
in a civil and non-hostile manner.

When I was a young guy, I recall numerous refusals of entry of military people in bars/slop shutes, here in the US.
There were plenty of establishments that sought our custom.

[Canard]

Lots of pubs (especially city centre high volume chain pubs like Walkabout) enforce dress restrictions.

They may refuse entry to people wearing trainers, jeans, shirts without collars, football shirts, certain brands of clothing (eg. Burberry, Stone Island).

Or they can refuse entry simply on the basis that they don't like the look of you. That would most likely occur in the case of large, same-sex groups, as in this case.

[RetiredArmy]

When the Islumic murderers start taking over England, I for one, will not lift a finger to assist them. They can burn this time. We saved their asses twice before. This time they are a self inflicted wound. They can all just kneel down and pray to the east six times a day. To hell with them.

[Gideon Reader]

Burberry?
You mean if I was wearing my 40+ years old "trencher", I could be refused entry/service?
I guess my old Stetson would be a no-no as well.
Shows to go you. (????????)

[em2vn]

I was there then. What tension are you talking about? We owned the town because we supported the town.

[Canard]

In the last decade Burberry and similar brands have been adopted as the 'uniform' of choice for organised football hooligan gangs (though more recently that seems to be dying out as it becomes more of a general chav favourite).

I've seen lots of pubs with signs saying 'no Burberry'.

"You mean if I was wearing my 40+ years old "trencher", I could be refused entry/service?"

This is theoretically possible, though obviously the establishment may choose not to enforce their policy to that level. The other factor mitigating against it would be that I do not believe that the type of person who would wear a '40+ years old trencher' would ever actually want to enter a Walkabout pub!