Not long after the Second World War had ended, children returned home after not seeing their parents for some time. They had been separated and sent away for refuge in other countries. In London, England, the buildings laid in ruins after countless aerial raids by the German planes. The kids were hard to control and many were not educated. Many groups of kids began forming groups or gangs to keep occupied. The Wormsley Common Gang was a group of kids that grew up in the middle class of London. Trevor, a boy slightly more well off, was put into initiation to join the gang. As the new kid, Trevor never said a whole lot and followed the petty crimes the group committed. The leader of the group was Blackie, another young child. He organized the group and determined what they group was to do after they all had voted. The group met in a parking lot, where air bombardments had occurred during the war. Nearby, only Mr. Thomas lived. He was said to be an architect who had planned St. Paul's Church. Most of the boys thought nothing of it, but Trevor wanted to know more. Trevor, also referred to as T by the group, went to visit Mr. Thomas one day and learned that he would be out for the Bank Holiday. T suggested that they go to Mr. Thomas's house while he was out and "pull it down" and "destroy it." Blackie instantly realizes he was loosing authority in the group and T would be stepping up as the leader. At this point the point of view changes from the view of T to that of Blackie. Tension was building up between Blackie and T, as they both struggled to gain leadership on the gang. Blackie wanted to show his leadership by destroying the house and with the others, stalled Mr. Thomas from his return home. The next morning a rope attached to a beam and a car tore down the house. Everything of Mr. Thomas's was gone. There was no real motif for the Wormsley Common Gang to strike but Fame in being the most well known rebels.