Pensioner on a train

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

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

That was a joke.

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

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

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

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'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!

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

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.

And?

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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?

Ah but Penstemmon never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

I am not expecting the press to condone the man's vigilante approach! But I think it is right to frame it more truthfully.

e.g. 3 boys, ages 9-11, travelling from X to Y who flouted the rules to keep feet off train seats, ignored requests from a fellow passenger to take their feet off seats and replied to his request with jibes and laughter were shocked when the passenger apparently lost his temper and assaulted one of the children by pulling his arm behind his back an armlock. Another passenger stepped in to ensure no further harm came to the boys. The incident is being investigated by xyz.

Children do need to understand that there are consequences to actions/choices they make.. not suggesting the consequence in this case was appropriate BUT most kids would have mumbled a sorry and moved away! Isn't that what you hope your kids/grandkids would have done??

Wonder how the man copes surgery appointments , bums on seats !

It would be wrong for the papers to report in such a way that someone might think it was okay to attack a child if that child was seen to be behaving badly.

It's perfectly possible that the seat the man was sitting on had previously had feet put on it, yet he managed to cope. We all do.

Some kids being badly behaved and cheeky - not exactly news is it, and not a crime.

An adult physically attacking a quite small child is news and is a crime, even more than it would be if he attacked someone his own size.

If the reporting was more even handed and had made a deal about the boys not behaving well I would not be cross. The Sun & Mail chose to report ot sensationally making the boys complete victims. That is my issue.

There are notices on trains asking you not to put feet on seats but unfortunately a lot ignore it I must admit I often feel like telling those what do it but you usually get a mouthful it's same with passengers who think they can use two seats I have had some every large tuts from them when I have asked them to move them when no other seat available I just wish some people would be more considerate unfortunately on our local trains you don't often see a guard .