On 12 Oct 2008 at 1:10pm The Webmaster wrote:
Hi
I want to create a section on this site all about Bonfire but mostly about peoples experience of it.
What are your best, worst, funniest memories/stories of it.
What does it mean to you? Love it? Hate it?
What does it do for Lewes, how could it be better.
I want to create a section that embodies the attitudes of the town to our biggest annual celebration.
If you just want to write someting short add it to this thread but if you can write something more feel free to use the contact page to send me articles, stories, histories, images whatever you can.
On 12 Oct 2008 at 4:06pm Cliffebimbo wrote:
I grew up in the Borough, and have taken part since I was a baby. When I was 21 I saw the light and joined Cliffe, and have been with them ever since. My funniest memory, was when I went to an outmeeting in Battle. One of the pubs there used to charge 1 to get in, so loads of us (literally feet away from the bouncers on the door), climbed through a small window at the front of the pub, to avoid paying. Unfortunately (and even though I was a lot smaller than I am now), I got stuck on the latch. Loads of people inside were pulling me, and the people outside pushing, when eventually, my trousers ripped, and I went flying through the air. Luckily, one of our members was in the way, so I had a nice soft landing!! This was the famous year of the pumpkin, of which one of our other members will have to enlighten you.
I love it, one of the reasons being, is that it draws the community together. What other hobbies do you have in which the elderly and the young, and those in-between can mix, with no regard to their age, social standing, occupation etc.
What would make it better is:
1. Fewer police
2. Fewer people coming into town
3. No street venders, allowing only for a handful of food outlets.
4. Stopping people walking in the procession, who can only be bothered to come out on one night of the year.
5. More chinese crackers
6. Allowing people to stand on Cliffe bridge (not allowed last year, for health and safety purposes.
7. Allowing bonfire members to be able to go in the police "exclusion/safety" zones. Surely me going up Station Street on my own is safer than walking down Friars Walk, carrying a torch, with hundreds of members of the public around me.
Final comment, why oh why, do members of the public have such a fascination with discarded torches???
On 12 Oct 2008 at 4:38pm Musher wrote:
My first year in Bonfire I was given the job of carrying the 5 torch badge at the back of the procession, I'd never seen bonfire before, I still haven't got over the wonderful feeling of camaraderie you get looking down at the river of fire stretching from the Pelham down to the bottleneck.
As we got to the top of Lamport I was told that I would be leading the clergy down to the firesite, I had never experienced rookies before (London bangers are feeble by comparison) and soon I was doing the "Rookie Two Step" to the accompaniment of Paul Wheeler's raucous laughter.
Cliffebimbo, I was once asked "where can we get some paraffin?" by two members of the public who were holding homemade torches at our firesite!
On 12 Oct 2008 at 5:06pm Lewesianne wrote:
The most horrendous (but sadistically funny!) thing I ever saw was in a packed pub at a Battle outmeeting when I was with the Cliffe. Not giving any names but one male member descretely p***ed in the ice bucket and put it back on the bar!!!!
On 12 Oct 2008 at 5:12pm FA wrote:
One of the funniest thing i've seen is one of the bonfire members throwing a rookie into the pushchair of my 2 year old nephew. It was an early procession where children are encouraged to go in and it was f***ing hilarious. Oh i love the kids getting hurt
On 12 Oct 2008 at 5:58pm Rookie wrote:
I love bonfire, but a banger in my welly once when I was a kid wasn't the most hilarious thing I've ever experienced. I just got it off in time. Some people thought it was funny.
On 12 Oct 2008 at 6:49pm FA wrote:
I just love sitting there, waiting for the firworks to go off 2 hours late too. Usually Cliffe hold up the main procession and when i asked why, they replied "because we can"....
Do'nt you just love the raw arrogance and everything about it...can;t wait
On 12 Oct 2008 at 7:39pm Musher wrote:
Does someone force you to go?
On 12 Oct 2008 at 7:42pm FA wrote:
No....they didn't nor did they force thew other 30,000 + people but they still had the arrogance to hold everything up "because they can"
How kind
On 12 Oct 2008 at 8:46pm fireball wrote:
sorry to say f.a you are wrong on one point the cliffe do no hold up the united
procession . you need to look at the starte of the everning . with the societys
going to war memorial .
On 12 Oct 2008 at 9:17pm Cliffebimbo wrote:
Lewesianne, that was the year of the Pumpkin. Subsititute ice-bucket for pumpkin, and you will get the idea.
FA- I know you love bonfire really, cos you know so much about it. Do you want me to put you on the Cliffe waiting list?
On 12 Oct 2008 at 9:52pm fireball wrote:
bloody hell i rember the plmpkin .
On 13 Oct 2008 at 1:39pm Enoch wrote:
Oh there are too many stories. One of the funniest was at Fletching on their firesite amid the exploding cow pats. I was talking to friends when this rookie went off, and my friend turned away cussing and blinding, when he turned around I momentarily thought his glasses had melted, however my concern turned to hysterics when I realised it was a cow pat dripping off them. Did he stink! I agree totally with Cliffe bimbo about her points raised regarding the night but would like to add that there are too many drunken people around town causing problems and the council should not allow pubs to operate as off licences on the night - whatever happened to the on street drinking ban.
On 13 Oct 2008 at 1:43pm fireball wrote:
enoch your point about drinking . you need to look at the people coming into lewes by train with bins of beer also.
On 13 Oct 2008 at 3:21pm Enoch wrote:
I know and the ones selling it from Tesco trolleys on the causeway bridge! The British Transport Police do a great job at Brighton Station but other stations could do better - however they just get of the train and hey presto there is a massive sign saying "OFF LICENCE" so they can stock up again.
Shame we cannot stop the trains!
On 13 Oct 2008 at 4:24pm Musher wrote:
We could send a few bonfire boys down to Falmer Station, cover up the platform signs with fake "LEWES" ones and halve the number of visitors!
On 13 Oct 2008 at 4:52pm fireball wrote:
well musher
how about puting the word aboutt that lewes bonfire night this year is running
on saturday 8th november . put a poster up at falmer station to start with
On 13 Oct 2008 at 5:19pm juju wrote:
Try stopping the railway companies putting up posters advertising Lewes bonfire all over the country, that would be a start
On 13 Oct 2008 at 6:14pm Lewes Larry wrote:
Why such an anti spectator feel. do you honestly think that you would have fun if noone turned out to watch??
without the spectators you would only see the few people infront and behind you!!
On 13 Oct 2008 at 6:25pm six oclock wrote:
i thought this was suppose to be bonfire memories!!!!!
On 13 Oct 2008 at 6:42pm The Webmaster wrote:
So did I!
On 13 Oct 2008 at 7:41pm Cliffebimbo wrote:
Best procession on the 5th? The last one, because all of the spectators have gone home.
On 14 Oct 2008 at 12:12am harold wrote:
I remember
a couple of years ago the clergy got his mitre blown apart and a viking gave him his helmet to wear
On 14 Oct 2008 at 8:14am Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
The first year I was in bonfire it was very, very wet. Everyone was soaked through, and the clouds of steam rising from the wet costumes as people stood round the fire trying to get warm made it like an outdoor sauna.
I discovered how very difficult it is trying to have a pee in a soaking wet costume that included a long skirt and a sword. Those portacabin lavatory cubicles aren't built to accommodate swords.
On 14 Oct 2008 at 10:03am Enoch wrote:
I remember that wet year, I went to our church hall for some food and when I looked down to get some money out of my purse a wave of water ran out of my hat onto the food on the table - I was not very popular. We also had problems trying to light set pieces which had very wet tape match on - gave up in the end. The colour in the lining of my coat ran through 3 layers of clothes and stained my underwear too!
On 14 Oct 2008 at 2:49pm Retired Archbishop wrote:
I don't actually remember Bonfire Night 1962 but it was wet and my parents went home early. Nine months later............ Perhaps that is why Bonfire is so much in my blood?
A variation on the Big Bang Theory??
On 14 Oct 2008 at 6:49pm Retired archbishop wrote:
And to blow my cover.....................I was that Archbishop Harold!
On 15 Oct 2008 at 12:48am harold wrote:
haha
harold takes a long bow to the master