|
|
|
BONFIRE REPORT 2004
We thought we'd like to share with you some of the memories which we have of Bonfire Night 2004, with reports by Rupert Lloyd Thomas, Dino Bishop, Martin Leeburn, Peter Flanagan, Roz South, Andy Thomas and Steve Pilfold. We'll start with Rupert Lloyd Thomas, seen here in our Bonfire Night studio, broadcasting details of the celebrations to the world: A picture is worth a thousand words - our exclusive Rocket FM photograph shot by the multi-talented Peter Flanagan shows all the excitement of Bonfire, with the Cliffe Bonfire Society on the ground at the War Memorial in the centre of Lewes and yours truly commenting on the occasion. As always I had the best seat in the house - although there wasn't much sitting down - high above the memorial where we remember the fallen. It was a cracking Bonfire this year. The weather was near perfect with a large crowd enjoying the scene. During the broadcast Andy Shaw, down on the street with the radio mike, spoke to visitors from Nashville, Tennessee, and Detroit, Michigan. Lewes was showing its best face to the world and Rocket FM was bringing live coverage to listeners worldwide on the internet. Tackling a six-hour live broadcast is always a nerve-racking experience and everyone is thoroughly drained afterwards. But it is all worthwhile when folk in the town who can't be out on the streets let us know they've enjoyed the Bonfire show or when Lewes expats get in touch to show their appreciation. My personal thanks to everybody involved this year and we hope to make the 400th anniversary coverage next year even bigger and better. Signing off - Rupert Lloyd Thomas Also in the studio was Dino Bishop:
From the comfort of a warm studio to the challenge of being a reporter in the field – literally in the field, as I spent the second part of the evening at the Cliffe Bonfire site. It was quite bizarre, listening to Rocket on my portable radio through the headphones, then sticking my mobile against my ear to commentate. Imagine listening to a conversation with your left ear while hearing something else through your right; all very confusing! And when the fireworks are so loud you cannot hear yourself speak, the only thing you can do is to keep talking, but could I be heard? I called in at the Market Tower on my way home to check on our guests from the Twinning Association – they told me they had been listening to me on the radio. So I hadn’t been standing in a field talking to myself after all. Next, from Martin Leeburn:
From Peter Flanagan: 8 am and time to charge around the bonfire sites, to prepare an update for Jon Royle's morning programme. Adopt the amiable dolt persona that previously I've found breaks through all site security. Oddly enough, grinning like an idiot and pretending to not understand the first dozen or so invitations to disappear and procreate seems to work. I believe outsider bees adopt this same tactic approaching a new hive.
Onward to Waterloo at Malling. Swim through the therapeutic mud bath, and I'm a little surprised when, having negotiated multiple layers of bureaucracy (Fred starts to tell me what's going on, Ron kicks him in the shins, Fred dries up and refers me to Sid. Squelch halfmile across imported peat bog, same 'amusing' pantomime ensues with Sid and Malcolm), I'm eventually told all will be as normal this evening, though it'd be good to wear wellies. (See Steve Pilfold's report for the eventual reality). Next is South Street: only small hurdles to leap, news and messages, and a friendly hello from RFM's 'own' Martin Leeburn (Rocket is lucky, honoured even, to 'own' a very large number of people in this town). Then finally Cliffe, whose onsite facility is remarkably reminiscent of the Scrapheap Challenge set after a water-bombing. Here, some very robust gentlemen lead me at a galloping trot across country to a group of even more robust fellows who are engaged in a discussion about beating each other off the field. I'm unsure what this means but, certain that it sounds a little unsavoury and certainly not something I wish to witness, I gather some details and messages and speed back to the studio.
Still, I made Jon's show in time, and had a breaking traffic report too! Next year I hope to be sponsored by Bell Helicopters. Thanks and topside respec' are due to all the hardworking Bonfire Boys for their annual indulgence. Roz South, Rocket's photographer and newshound, says: "I wish I'd been ABLE to be a roving reporter on the night!! Unfortunately, my attempts to reach the studio in order to do any 'corresponding' on the various the War Memorial processions were thwarted by some 70,000 spectators and an increasingly hysterical police force." Roz has put a selection of her photographs of the night on her web site at www.parklife.me.uk/gallery/lewes2004, a few of the photos from which are included on this page. From our own Director-General, Andy Thomas: I live just down from Commercial Square, so it is natural that i have been the 'roving reporter'
covering CSBS for some years now. This year I was at the forward studio for the start of the Bonfire
broadcast and then made my way up to the main studio via Commercial Square and the Barbican. I had intended to walk up the High Street but had to turn back as the crowd was too dense and the I looked in on Andy Reeve, our excellent anchor-man, and did a short piece to air about the phone-ins coming next. Then I set off for Landport Green to do my own phone-in from the CSBS firesite. I was lucky in my timing and walked in easily after the main press of people. There was a very good attendance on a fine evening but none of the problems reported at the Waterloo firesite by my colleague Steve Pilfold, presumably because the CSBS site is a little further out. There were a couple of minor incidents attended by the Sussex Ambulance Service but all in all the evening went off in good order. The procession then arrived, with flaming torches as far as the eye could see, and the glow was soon increased by the enormous bonfire which flared into life in what seemed like moments.
And a very full report from Steve Pilfold:
A quick look at the sky told it was going to be another cold night. In the event it wasn't actually frosty (I remember crunching on the grass at Malling Brooks in 1995 I think it was, and Molly Mockford tells me it snowed in 1980, brrrrrr!), but it was perfect weather for bonfire, with clear skies, no real rain for the last week or so and light winds. So I trudged out from my "secret" parking place up on the Malling estate, along with my fellow "broadcaster" Eugene, a little later than usual, at about 5:45. This meant that by the time we had crossed Wiley's Bridge and puffed up the hill from the Pells, we had to upset the marshals at Commercial Square, who were just preparing to head up to the War Memorial. Most of them were helpful, but a few had the usual self imposed "importance" about them! It would be unfair to unduly criticise these people, they do a very good job of making sure that the "outsiders" (those who don't know where they are going, rather than me, who knew where I wanted to be, just left it a bit late to be there!) don't loiter about with their cans of Stella in the way of proceedings.
I stuck my headphones on, waited for Dino to finish his call into the studio and dialled the studio number from my mobile. Andy Reeve was in the main studio at this point, and put me straight to air. I was doing my best to file a coherent sounding report, but when you are in a crowd that size, it is not the easiest job in the world. Coupled with the fact that I was being attacked by a St John Ambulance that was trying to make its way through the crowd, I was probably sounding fairly flustered and dramatic. I remember saying that there was no room and that I thought that anyone still in the town should head for the Commercial Square site. Despite the fact that the field had a reduced capacity, due to flood defence works, looking up at the numbers on the bridge and the numbers of people in the crowd, there was some doubt in my mind that we would have all fitted onto the field if it were it's usual size! Around ten minutes passed, the crush was getting worse and the procession still hadn't arrived. The PA was screaming at the crowd to move away from the gate and allow the procession through. I remember thinking at the time "sod the procession, what about us?" as they were sending more and more people onto the already packed bridge. I didn't know what to do, so I phoned another live report into the studio! Peter (Flanagan) was in charge at this point, and I don't think that he was quite aware of what was going on where I was! He must have been thinking "what the hell is Pilfold on?" as stumbled my way through a report, watching someone trying to move a van, that a load of kids had climbed onto. The police were becoming involved at this point, and still the PA seemed more interested in getting the procession into the fire site that they did in the safety of the crowd! People were beginning to panic and almost pushing others over to try and get out the crowd. Suddenly, the reflection of flames could be seen in the windows of the buildings around. The procession had arrived!
It was an amazing display, worth waiting for. Waterloo really excelled themselves this year, with a more aerials than I can ever recall seeing before. I know I say that every year, but this was a particularly good one. Waterloo have become famous for the quality of their aerial displays, and this year was no different. We all really enjoyed it, and when it finished, at about 23:10, there was a big cheer from the crowd. Everyone started to move off towards the station, which caused a few issues for me, as my car was by the police HQ, which meant I had to head against the tidal flow, up the ramp! Looking back from the top revealed a sea of people, just how many I don't know, but it was thousands and thousands. If and how the station managed to cope with them all, I don't know, but this had been one of the most dramatic, exciting, and at one point scary bonfire nights that I have ever attended in Lewes. It was also probably the most enjoyable. Steve Pilfold, 6th November 2004
|
What a privilege it was to spend this Bonfire with an uninterrupted view from right above the centre
of proceedings – and to be able to share my excitement with listeners right across the world.
Without ruining the mystique of how these things are achieved, I can tell you that Rupert
commentated while I hung out of the window with a microphone to pick up the sound of bands or
fireworks; when he drew breath, we swapped, and so on. We must have looked like one of those
Swiss clocks. Peter did a great job of mixing it all together, while Andy did his very best BBC
continuity announcer impression ("Well, we seem to have lost… we hope to rejoin… meanwhile,
here’s some music.") I had to mug up on a lot of information about the Bonfire Societies to sound
vaguely knowledgeable, which I found interesting.
My personal highlight was dipping the last of 3,200 torches as part of
the South Street Torch Dipping Crew ... after five hours of slow progress through a forest of torch sticks and barrels of paraffin. Then
seeing another terrific display by South Street, with Commercial Square
and Waterloo going off behind. Commercial Square's bonfire prayers set
the gold standard for political incorrectness, and didn't disappoint
this year, with the Archbishop and his clergy showing great fortitude
under fire. Then of course there was the post match analysis on the 6th
in the Lewes Arms, with a close examination of Peter Messer's brilliant "Commercial Times" banner. Roll on next year!
Arrive at the Borough site to find ... no one there. Make note: "All at Borough are confident and on schedule." (A job at the Daily Mail clearly awaits). Next it's Commercial Square, where, halfway across the
field, I'm greeted by cries of "It's Rocket FM", which puzzles me since
I don't know anyone there and am not wearing my trademark RFM swimming
trunks. Put it down to another sign of the station's growing repute
(notoreity?) in the town. The CSBS lads eventually give me some details,
and ask that Rocket remind over-exuberant visitors that the fermented
apple and flaming torches do not mix - if you're not a member, keep out
of the procession. 
Sadly, a coach with a punctured tyre is blocking Southover High Street,
and even half a dozen of Sergeant Pepper's finest are unable to prevent
the inevitable gridlock. Strange, I thought that NCP would bring
sunshine into our lives ... 
The platform party was by then under an intense bombardment which appeared to me almost
life-threatening and I have to admire the courage of the Archbishop and his colleagues. Every year
the firework display seems to get better and I noticed in particular this year some that exploded in a
cloud of what looked like birds or insects! There was again an enormous explosion releasing a
sinister black cloud. I gather this is caused by petrol exploding! The tableau was of John Prescott
throttling a seagull, in reference to the postponement of the decision on a new home for the Albion; it went up in typically splendid fashion to general approval; i think it may be some time before 'Two
Jags' tries to call a referendum in Sussex! I wouldn't miss Bonfire prayers in Commercial Square
and that's how my evening ended, taking in the wise words of Mr Paul Wheeler, when they could be
heard over the exploding firecrackers and the roar of the crowd; nothing quite like it!
Another year, another November the fifth! After finishing my final show on Rocket
FM at 2pm, complete, of course, with a reading of the bonfire prayers, it was time to get ready.
Having fought our way through the assembled masses, we nipped up Fisher Street, to find that
the 6 o'clock crowd at the war memorial was about the size of the average 8 o'clock crowd. We watched the Commercial Square ceremony and then decided that our usual vantage point here
was going to be one of much jostling and bad views, so decided to break with tradition and head
down to the Cliffe. I remember having been down at the Cliffe sometime in the past, but it has
been a good few years, as I am usually up against the railings by the memorial. A quick
scarper down Market St, a nip down to the bus station, down the side of Safeway and out into
the precinct. I always feel glad that I know the "back" routes around Lewes, as I look back up
School Hill at the sea of people that I have just avoided!
A quick assessment of the situation showed that Cliffe High Street was also packed, but not
quite to the rafters at this point. We made it over the bridge just as one of the first Cliffe
processions came down the road from the South Street end. As luck would have it, the crowd
was quite thin on the other side of the bridge, so we had loads of room to stand and watch, just
in front of the entrance to Harvey's. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to be in Cliffe High Street,
and we stood and watched the Cliffe and South Street societies for a while, before taking
advantage of a gap in the crowd to get a front row seat for the tossing of a blazing tar barrel into
the River Ouse. I found this a bit of an anti climax, having been waiting for many years to see
this happen! Never mind though! I got a phone call at this point from a friend of mine, Mark, (how handy the mobile can be on bonfire night!) who, as luck would have it, was outside the
Riverside Centre! We fought our way through the crowd to meet him, and his other half, who had
come over from Sweden and exchanged stories of the night so far. We all agreed we liked the
various parking attendant and parking meter related costumes and tableaux in the processions.
Siv (Mark's lady) was looking a bit "shell shocked" at events so far! I don't think that they put
as many people as they can fit into the centre of their local, historic, town and throw explosives
at each other for a "jolly good night out" in rural Sweden!
During all of the above, Eugene and I had been listening to the coverage from Rupert and Dino
up at the War Memorial. This was proving rather handy, and was more so as the evening went
on, as it allowed us to work out how "behind" everything was running! We then had word from the "forward" studio that the "Grand United Procession" was on the move, so a quick dash back
down the side of WH Smiths and Safeway had up in prime position outside the bus station. It
was here that we realised that it was becoming a tad on the chilly side! Brass monkeys to be
precise. We braved it out though, and watched the Waterloo come along from Boots before deciding to go and get something to eat from a burger van behind Safeway. Eugene had already
had a burger from here and informed us that "for cr*ppy food, it's quite good". So we made our
various purchases (including a nice cup of tea for me), before deciding to "head for the
(Waterloo) firesite, before the crowds get there, and wait for the procession to arrive. How wrong
could I have been!
As I had been reading it out all week on Rocket FM, I was well aware that the River Bank was
closed, and that the only way to the Waterloo site was via Brooks Road. As we were crossing
the Phoenix Causeway, we noticed that there were a LOT of people on the bridge. We have to
remember at this point that, after the United Grand Procession that we had seen, Waterloo then
have to return up to their HQ behind the Needlemakers, regroup and then march down to their
own firesite. For those of you who know Lewes, Brooks Road is not exactly the narrowest of
streets, but we really had to fight our way up it. When we arrived at the roundabout at the end of
the link road at the back of Tesco, the crowd was very deep and not going anywhere. A voice
was booming out across the public address system, informing us all that the firesite was "full"
and the we had to move up the link road, towards the police headquarters. A quick glance told
me that this was not going to happen! The link road was already full and there was nowhere for
the masses of people coming down from the town centre to go. At this point I was due to phone
in to Rocket FM to let them know how things were looking down at Waterloo. "A mess" was the
phrase that came to mind. "Chaos" would also have fitted! I had already phoned a couple of
reports through from the town, in which I commented how busy it was, but here I was in the
middle of a crush, hardly able to stand! There was only one thing for it.....
It took a long time to get the procession into the field, but finally they were in. I called the
studio just as the first fireworks went up. "There you go, that's what you've all been waiting for"
screeched the lady on the PA microphone". I gave a quick report to Peter, and settled back (as
far as is possible when u are in contact with about six other people around you!) to watch the
display.
