Lewes Forum thread

I took my clan to the afore mentioned bonfire on saturday.
What a crock of sh1t. 300 people in green and white striped jumpers, a few more hundred in black and white, some in gold and white and a very few in red and white.

Hardly anyone bothered to dress up in costumes and the amount of people from waterloo was digraceful.
About time they gave this one up as a bad project.

Now you come to mention it, your right! Not many costumes all night, but mostly smugglers.
Maybe it's a sign of things to come for the 5th. A stripey jumper is a lot cheaper than a full dress costume, so maybe the credit crunch has hit our bonfire celebrations too. Hope the fireworks aren't affected too.

I know that the striped geurnsey is th trad outfit, but i agree with you both. But lets not forget that nevill is for the kids, and kids grow up fast, It can cost a fortune to remake a new costume every year, please believe me as I am someone who has made nearly twenty new Viking costumes in the last ten years already....

Nevill has always been a bonfire-lite though, especially as it always falls on the same night as at least two other bonfires. If you'd headed out to Firle, Fletching or I think Eastbourne you'd have seen a much better display of costumes and a much, much better firework display. Although most village societies do have a smugglers colours, very few people wear them, prefering to wear a proper costume. The numerous outmeetings before and after the fifth are great nights out and much more family friendly than the main Lewes night with the only downside being the inevitable need to drive to them.

Spongebob, a disgrace! It must be great to be so community minded you idiot, i hope you give up your time so freely to support community events, bet you don't, you lazy son of a .....................

Prick Stein, if a family can be bothered to drag themselves out on a dark cold night to SUPPORT the event, then Spongy has every right to voice his opinion. It wouldn't harm Nevill to hear opinions like these anyway, so they can improve for next time. However, if everyone in the procession felt the same as you about not caring if there were any spectators or not, then maybe the SUPPORTING public should all just stay in on the 5th and watch tv so you can all march up and down empty streets.
Your costume....when you make it, assemble it, whatever you wear..?, Does it not go through your tiny mind how you will be admired by the crowd cos I bet you're the first one to queue up at the newsagents the next day to gawp through the papers to see if there's a photo of YOU in there! If you are true to your beliefs about crowds then why dress up??? Why not just go in normal clothes but carry out the tradition. This would carry more heartful meaning instead of dressing up as...er...say....an indian??? Like, the 17 martyrs would really relate to that??? They're probably looking down from Heaven and asking themselves "WTF had a zulu got to do with all this?..."We died for..vikings?"
Bonfire would be NOTHING without the crowds. It would be just a sad clan of wierdo's marching up and down lonely streets and more and more members would just 'not bother'.

Fool!

Are you "special needs" by any chance Prick stein ?

No, but you are a tw*t!

I agree about the costumes. I don't think I have ever seen a Nevill member in anything other than a stripy jumper. Do they have costumes? Before you all jump down my throat, I know it is a traditional costume, but part of the fun of Bonfire is making your costume, and taking pride in it. Re the other societies taking part, I totally understand why they might wear their guernseys. It is usually quite cold up on the field, and the weather was so bad that day, why would you want to ruin a decent costume?
One other point I'd like to make about Nevill is that I was under the impression that it is a kid's society? Why then, do the processions start so late, and why do the fireworks go off after 10pm???

Now now boys please play nice!

Ricola I couldn't agree more with your sentiment about the stuff going off too late.

I took my kids to Firle this year because everything happened so late last year.

By the time anything happens at Nevill my kids are fed up and just want to go home. It seems to be more for the teenagers, which is fine but i think Nevill BS should be open about the likely timings of the processions, fireworks and bonfire well before the event.

The being late thing puzzles me. It's not liek the 5th, where one slip up or delay can snowball until every society's an hour late. They've only got htemselves to organise, after all.

I once asked some pondlife member of Cliffe why do they always make everything so late on the 5th.....the answer was "because we can"

Funny that Dave, as we watched Firle's display after Nevil's.

One year, Cliffe got loads of flack for being late. They'd been held up for 45 minutes because someone in the crowd had fainted and they had to wait for the ambulance to come and take her away. Cliffe would hardly ever be late if so many other societies didn't insist on coming down to the Cliffe to throw a barrel in the Ouse.
They've made tremendous efforts to stick to time over the last few years and it's got a lot better since the route of the first procession was altered to a circular one, so that everyone just stays in their ranks and sets off for the second one more or less straight away (unless South Street are dawdling or some other mob are hanging about on the bridge).
No-one sits around thinking "We'll all sit and have another pint and make everyone late". The reply you got was meant in jest, SB - it's a standing joke in the Cliffe.

I wasn't at Nevill since my services were required in Firle. However, on a purely historical note, Nevill's pioneer costume used to be Valencians. A costume also seen in the Cliffe in the days immediately following reformation after the war - the copious quantity of spare black-out material being of significance.
Given the detail required to make a fine Valencian costume and the lack of warmth that it provides, I'm never surprised to see other options explored by people with growing families. Things are different in Firle where a flourishing "passing down" of Valencian costume service exists. But then things very often ARE different in Firle...

ACT, the reason the fifth runs late is that the cliffe insist on marching further and further up the High street. Maybe they should stay on the other side of the river where they belong. As for nevill, they are full of cliffe members and 'middle class out of towners' it's not suprising they have that arrogant attitude. Nevill bonfire, or cliffe lite as they should be known. At least they don't fill this site with self congratullatory posts ala spinster, dimbo etc.

Cliffe have turned at the bit of High Street opposite the Barbican for at least the 18 years I've been in Lewes.
Given that they have to go to the war memorial for the remembrance ceremony, it's hardly much further.

the migty cliffe could go to the mamorial up the hill down their end, discuss

Spongebob - I saw you in the crowd at Nevill smiling and enjoying yourself - you really are a wind-up merchant
Spirit of Bonfire? You are certainly deluded - could this be with ethanol? What an apt name!

Yes, the Cliffe could stay in their part of town So could the other societies, including the almost as mighty Commercial Square, although they would probably get a bit bored walking round the police station all night ! Use a little common sense csbs !

Spinster...the last time i smiled and enjoyed myself was 1980 so it couldn't of been me

Well said Bonfire Boy, and to Bonfire Escape, you clearly still think that Bonfire Night is put on to entertain you and the rest of the crowds, and once again miss the point by a mile. Costumes were originally worn as a disguise, so that those wearing them would not be recognised and you will still see many people wearing smugglers costumes and with blacked up faces because of this. Don't you think these people would choose a more glamorous costume if they were doing it for the adulation of the crowd ? Whilst on the subject of that particular dead horse that you continue to flog, if it was all about crowds, then why did hundreds of people process around the Nevill Estate for the best part of saturday night, when there were hardly any spectators on most of the route ? Why indeed do the Societies carry on after all the crowds have gone on the 5th ?
Bonfire is not a fashion parade and certainly not a fancy dress carnival. If that is what you want to see, then feel free to stay at home on the 5th, and go to Notting Hill instead. This is Bonfire and Bonfire Boys and Girls will continue to do it their way, the proper way, whatever you, Spongebob, or anyone else might prefer they did.
Seeing as you have already said in a previous post that you used to be in a Bonfire Society, and that you used to love it. Why exactly did you join, and what was it that was so good about it in your day ? What costume did you wear and why ? and most of all, why the attitude towards Bonfire now or did you copnsider yourself to be a sad weirdo as well ?

If you've read a post where it said i was in a bonfire society, you need to go to specsavers i'm afraid.

Now jog on little bonfire boy or girl...half term is nearly over.

I am trying my hardest not to be intimidated by your superior wisdom and maturity Spongebob !. Meanwhile, no, I haven't read a post saying that, you are quite correct, but if you read my last post again properly you will see that apart from the first sentence it was addressed to Bonfire Escape. So, perhaps you might like an apointment at the aforementioned specsavers yourself !

Ahhhh, but then you mentioned my good self and in the next sentance said "as you used to belong to a society" blah blah.

Therefore, me thinks you need extra English lessons when you go back to school on Monday....tish tish

I realise that your are full of your own self importance Spongebob, but just because you were mentioned does not mean I was talking to you. The fact that you had clearly not said those things should have been a bit of a clue that I wasn't talking to you, however if you look closely, you will notice that I used the word 'you' (ie Bonfire Escape - the person I was addressing) several times before your name was mentioned. Now read once more, understand the context, and with the aid of some simple English grammar you might understand. Got to get home now to watch the end of c-beebies.

Penguin, "Don't you think these people would choose a more glamorous costume if they were doing it for the adulation of the crowd ?"
In my opinion, a smugglers costume is an easy costume to get together and far more inexpensive and time consuming than say a zulu costume. Therefore, smugglers are the 'can't be bothered' of 'can't afford it' clan.
You also quoted..."if it was all about crowds, then why did hundreds of people process around the Nevill Estate for the best part of saturday night, when there were hardly any spectators on most of the route ?"
Because people are probably getting bored and can't be arsed to go out and see them.
I used to be in the Cliffe many many years ago, when everyone knew eachother. Then it got too big and businesslike. Young idiots joining on badge night just so they could march on the 5th but not make any contributions what-so-ever to the preparation and fundraising. The last straw was when I was ordered to "Get in my rank" by a newbe whippersnapper whom I'd (or the others I was marching with) never seen before. So I left.
And as for being a sad wierdo, well.....I'm just a normal person who once enjoyed the TRUE spirit of bonfire.
I was a smuggler on the 5th and St Trinians on outmeetings.

Listen to yourself Bonfire Escape ! You start off saying that the smuggler costume is essentially a cop out for those who can't be bothered (even though a hand knitted woollen guernsey is not easy to make for most people and does not come cheap), then you say that you wore it yourself on the fifth in the days when Bonfire was so great. It is not a cop out. I would say that the majority in Bonfire (as you did) have a smugglers costume and often several others. Just depends which you want to wear for a particular Bonfire, otherwise why did you wear different costumes ?
You then go on to prove my point about Nevill. Maybe people did get bored and couldn't be arsed to go and watch (bored no doubt with looking at costumes the same as the one that you used to wear that is) - the procession still took place and everyone taking part enjoyed themselves regardless.
Don't you think it is a bit arrogant to think that it is OK for you to join the Cliffe and expect to be accepted by all its members, who at the time you would not have known, but as soon as someone that you didn't know joined up, and whats more volunteered to be a marshall, you call him a newbe whippersnapper. Perhaps if you had volunteered to be a marshall and gone to the marshalls meeting you WOULD have know this person.

There has never been a time when all of the membership helped with preparation and fundraising, that is not a new thing, so it is safe to say that out of the whole society that you 'knew', the best part of them only turned up to march on the fifth. If you did something to help then good for you, but to make out that this is only a symptom of the current membership is simply wrong. Perhaps you might enlighten us with what you consider to be the TRUE spirit of Bonfire, but at the end of the day, it is to do with what YOU believe in and what YOU make it. If you want to spit out your dummy and turn your back on the whole of Bonfire and everything it stands for because a marshall told you to get into your ranks, then I don't believe you ever had much of that spirit in the first place.

Penguin, I had a smugglers costume because I was just a kid and couldnt afford anything else. If you read my post properly, I did say "Therefore, smugglers are the 'can't be bothered' of 'can't afford it' clan" I fitted into the latter category.

Can I join the bonfire society on the big night? and if so where does the stripey jumper come as part of the membership?

Yes, and you get a free pouch of rookies and a hip flask filled with your favorite tipple.

I didn't get all that, do I need to collect it from somewhere?

Can I Join

Aha, Bonfire Escape, so you were a kid that didn't want to do what the marshals told you to do !. Its all becoming clear now. And you couldnt afford anything else, which is absolutely fine (although that is had to believe as a Naval costume for instance is cheaper and easier to make than a smugglers guernsey) - (oh and there was your St Trinians of course), but in an earlier post you argue that we shouldnt wear a costume at all ! If you want to argue then at least try and be consistent ! The whole point is, it doesnt matter whether you wear a smugglers or anything else. It is the taking part that is the important thing, and it doesn't matter what the crowd think, because as you know we are not doing it for their benefit !

Crikey Penguin...you are just waiting to pounce on me, arn't you? I feel like you're stalking me.

I thought you liked people watching you !

Being admired by a crowd for providing a spectacular procession in a bonfire society is different from being obsessively psycho-analysed!

You have to hand it to Penguin, he does seem to have fingered you but I don't think you can palm it off like that BE. I'd give him a big thumbs up.
You just need to knuckle down make a fist of it and nail your arguments.