Pensioner on a train

For everyone saying he should have called the guard - what guard? Southern, for instance, plans to abolish them. I think other railways already have. Clearly an armlock was not the way to go. Where were the other travellers? A lot more of us need to step up before it gets to the situation where bullying and aggressive children make travel unpleasant. The passenger who stepped in to ensure no further harm came to the boys - where was s/he when the children were being aggressive?

Someone earlier suggested sitting down opposite them, moving their feet first, then face them down. That sounds a good idea if you've got the confidence.
With any luck they would get up and move elsewhere.

DaphneBroon so true in certain papers! They will be the ones with OTT headlines screaming for kids blood when they hurt a pensioner / war veteran when a 'prank' goes wrong!! Those types of papers don't really worry about truth just profit and sensationalism!

Alchemilla where did it say the children were bullying and aggressive I must have read a different report to you ?

Maybe the other travellers didn't think it was a big deal, didn't think of joining in to harangue the kids and expected the old guy to just sit down again.

Yes. Hundred need to learn there are consequences to actions and I hope the man who sbuse the child will face the consequences in law

The kids were in the wrong and should have taken their feet off the seats instead of being lippy.At 8 and 11 I would not have dared to be rude to an adult,but then again I would not have been on a train at 8 without one.

Yes,I do think it is ok for an adult to verbally tell other peoples children to behave properly in public,but certainly not aggressively.
Often the parents are gossiping or texting and not keeping control.
Then there are those 'modern' parents who think their children should exercise free expression wherever they may be.
A direct look,finger to lips and a soft shush works wonders.
I think some are stunned that someone has bothered to give them some guidance.

The man in question on the train was a bully ,it led me to wonder what his job/profession may have been.

Another passenger reported the boys as ' being quite cocky,' and that was from a 17 yr old!

And?

A girl of about 8 put her feet on a bus seat near me, her mother was elsewhere on the bus. I politely asked her to take her feet off. She silently smirked at me so I explained that people wouldn't want their clothes on a seat which had had shoes with dirt from the street on it. Her smirk became more triumphant as she stayed put!
I didn't think of putting her in an armlock.

Bet you were furious, though. I would have been.

I'd have thought of a lot more then an arm lock Elrel! I suppose the difference is, that like you, I wouldn't have done it.

I did once tell a boy to take his feet off a bus seat by saying ' Euuw, you've got dog poo on your shoe, take them off!" And pulled a face. Luckily it worked! He was so alarmed as his friend held his nose and leaned away that his feet went down immediately! Of course there was no dog poo and I had to say I'd just thought I'd seen some, but he kept his feet down!

It is annoying when kids put their feet on seats. I was one of those annoying kids back in the day! And if an adult asked me to put them down I would, only to put them back up again once they'd gone. Am I the only one on GN ready to admit to some anti social behaviour in my teens?!

I still sonetimes feel tempted to put my feet on seats, but don't do it!

Not in my teens, but at the ages if these boys? Yes

He could have just whipped their shoes off. and thrown them out of the window. (Shoes, not kids)

That was a joke.

A very 'practical' joke though jinglebellsfrock ! it may have worked.

Yes. But I wouldn't have thought of it until at least two days after the event.