Bommy Night

 Once huge in the UK, Bonfire or Bommy night has suffered the censoring scissors of health and safety, as fireworks have became more difficult for kids to buy themselves and burns and injury became an increasing problem during the 60's, 70's and 80's.

Now it's a fiery footnote to a much bigger Halloween here in Britain.

Still, when I was a kid, boomer bonfire nights were very special. None of the cordoned organised council fires we have now, most families lit a pile of timber in their own back gardens or streets back then.

The poor old guy was chucked onto the flames in an act of patriotic fervour, mostly lost on us kids, who, after hawking it round the neighbourhood or sitting with it asking for firework pennies, simply wanted to see it burn and eat some grub.

Food around the fire was mostly rustic but delicious fayre like toffee apples, pork pie and peas and bags of rock hard teeth-shattering bonfire toffee, which I still adore.

The highlight of the dark evening was the firework display of snowcones and roman candles, usually supervised by Dad and often the Standard brand, who ran a very catchy TV ad campaign, which British kids of our generation will no doubt be humming to themselves at some point today:

"Do you remember the fifth of November?

Light up the Sky with Standard Fireworks!"

As I write this post with my imaginary sparkler, what are you doing this Bonfire Night readers? 

🧨