Thread Topic: Bonfire nights/1950's
Topic Originator: Mike Laughton
Post Date June 26, 2011 @ 10:20 AM |
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| Mike Laughton |
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Do you remember bonfire nights in the 1950s?
In those days kids could buy fireworks themselves and I'm sure we were little horrors the things we used to do with them in the weeks leading up to November 5th. One of our favourite stunts was creating our own depth charges. We would wrap a lump of mud around the bottom of the banger (to weigh it down) ignite it and as soon as the sparks flew out we would toss it in the river or mill stream and a couple of seconds later it would explode under water showering the wet stuff everywhere. We never felt in danger. We knew that as soon as the sparks flew out we had a couple of seconds before the big bang. (Now, of course, we know that things can go wrong with fireworks at any time).
There were always two big bonfires in the town - one on the Meadows and one on the Rec. The one on the Rec was opposite the school just up from the Darby and Joan Club.
I remember one year my mate Brian Dunn got the cane off Yorkie. Two days before November 5th someone set fire to the Rec bonfire and Dunny used one of the school fire extinguishers to put out the flames. It seems that was a cardinal sin!
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