It's really impossible to imagine just how commonplace it was, and how little notice we took. Obviously it made an impression if there was a big ruck, but minor disturbances broke out all the time and you just ignored them. I often think back at just how violent those days were in general.
I miss it, really.
No, exactly. But more than that; when I was 12 or 13, walking home from the bus stop was fraught with danger. Any set of lads (or, indeed, individual lad) one encountered was quite likely to batter you, so you chose your route home accordingly. It was like living in a war zone, really. A strange time. And then it all just sort of stopped.