Bonfire night

[amethyst]

Re: Bonfire night

I remember the jumpin jack chasing you round the garden,catherine wheel,sparklers,roman candle,home made soup to keep you warm,the smell of smoke the following morning

[Marine Boy]

Re: Bonfire night

Yes, those jumping jacks! At one time, there would have been me and two younger brothers, plus assorted members of the family and sometimes those fireworks got awfully close. We just thought it great fun but I suppose, in retrospect, they were quite dangerous.

My favourite November 5th party was one put on be my Dad's firm, probably around 1970. The bonfire was immense and there was a van dispensing jacket potatoes and hotdogs. We were all dressed in thick jumpers and coats and the atmosphere was electric.

[moonvisage]

Re: Bonfire night

I remember bonfire night as a child.We use to spend weeks beforehand, building it up,with anything and everything we could find that would burn.Most small community bonfires were wonderful,as adults use to organize them and build them up,ensuring absolute safety.All the local children and teenagers use to join in,and spend most days searching for things.Bonfires certainly stopped all kinds of trouble for the month before and a week or so after,as most kids use to spend all their time building it,and afterwards,spend all their time remembering it and standing around the embers and charred ground,talking about next years bonfire.
I use to love the next day,fingering the embers and looking for dead firework shells.I still go looking for dead fireworks after bonfire night,as i love the smell of them.There is nothing better for a community,than building a bonfire,as the fun,excitement and smells are as spectacular as the actual sight of the bonfire and fireworks themselves.
I still remember how all the local violent thugs teens,never caused trouble on the run up to bonfire night,or afterwards.That says a lot for bonfire night and how good it is for communities.

[magneticfly]

Re: Bonfire night

when we were young though it was different.The seasons have changed now, but back then bonfire night could be relied on to be very nippy and you needed gloves scarves, mugs of soup baked potatoes cocoa etc.

in the past few years i have known bonfire nights which were almost warm and certainly not with the breath hanging in the air which i well remember

also in those days we didnt come back into a fully heated house like we do now and it was a contrast to have warm mugs and excitement outside then go indoors where it was chilly and race back into bed.


Also a penny in those days really was worth having, you could buy things with it! four aniseed balls!!!!!!

plus there wasnt the paranoia of not letting children out which prevails now, kids could hang about on street corners with guys.


Its like christmas, although i know even back then it was rare to actually have snow on christmas day, the winter was at least cold.Recently we have had warm christmas days, its just not the same, not festive at all

back the the chill on bonfire night to us kids heraded the start of winter and the run up to christmas, now its just much of a muchness weather wise.

[Richard1978]

Re: Bonfire night

When I was young my family and a few others used to organise bonfire parties & each bring a box of fireworks.

Also the the was (& still is ) a local bonfire & professional firework display in the local park on the nearest saturday, with the ticket money going to charity.

We used to go every year, though it was a labour of sometimes, especially as the park would end up a sea of mud & it was a long walk up a steep hill to my old house.

[sixtyten]

Re: Bonfire night

We also went to the big display and bonfire. I loved it as a Kid!
I have the same memories as everyone else, the Spuds in foil, collecting the dead shells..happy days

Remember to use the Fireworks Code

[Richard1978]

Re: Bonfire night

Did anyone have a slide show at school around bonfire night.

I remember the fire brigade showing one most years, with plenty of tips on how to stay safe, & lots of scary photos of people with burns caused by messing with fireworks.

[sixtyten]

Re: Bonfire night

Yes, the Fire Brigade would regularly come in and warn us of the dangers of Fire.
I recall one year, the Head master dragging a kid who had been caught mucking around with fireworks and burnt himself, up in front of the School in Assembly. He made him wear his burnt clothes from that night.
It worked!
I never ever mucked about with them after seeing that

[sixtyten]

Re: Bonfire night

[davidthomas27]

Re: Bonfire night



(The second picture is smaller because I had trouble uploading the bigger version to Photobucket).

[stud1al]

Re: Bonfire night

I remember Guy Fawkes night.I loved that but that's another thing that's been banned in Australia.

I remember when i was back in England a friend of mine, his name was Guy Bangay or something like that, almost lost his sight after he lit a firework and then,when it didn't go off as quickly as he expected,bent down to have a look.
It went off in his face.

[Danny]

Re: Bonfire night

I remember early teens when we used to hold lit bangers in our hands -the chicken was the one who dropped his first - it really hurts your fingers when they explode but we were the last generation of 'the cane' so it was the macho thing to act unmoved and like it never hurt!

[Richard1978]

Re: Bonfire night

Greater Manchester Fire Brigade had (& might still have) a mascot called Wellyphant who often featured in their fire prevention posters.

[steveffisher]

Re: Bonfire night

Almost ashamed to say we made our own! Joke & Fancy dress shop on seafront in Margate wasn't too particular about who it sold fireworks to in the 80's, to be honest. Chinese rockets and bangers were the best, but we got whatever we could afford. Standard bangers were the best - raspberry coloured wrapper and purplish touchpaper. Anyway, I digress ...

We'd empty out all the powder from the fireworks and compress it into film pots (you know, the little black ones with the grey lids). We'd make a hole in the lid and fashion our own touchpaper. And because we'd mixed the powder from various fireworks, you never knew what you were gonna get.

We'd light them then retreat. Great fun. Great, great fun. And something to tell your mates the day after at school.

NOTE: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, KIDS!

[sally 1973]

Re: Bonfire night

Does anyone remember that advert in the late 70's/early 80's? about a boy who puts a firework in his pocket and it goes off. The end of the ad used to show this poor wretch of a kid showing his gloved hand with a couple of fingers missing. lol. Used to freak me out as a kid.