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One of these days found us in or maybe a better description would be on
the water in it, this was by the means of a raft that had been built by one of the lads who lived a short way up the road from our house and his mate. Using planks of wood that were lashed together to make a
frame for sitting on they used old oil drums that were in turn also lashed to the frame to help the raft to float. I think that I am correct when I say that they carried it past the houses to just past what we
called Ducks Barn where they were able to gain access to the drain. The raft was used in the drain before it was taken into the Haven, where when the tide was high the lads used it as though it was their own private
boating lake with the River Humber only yards away. One high tide as I watched the raft being used I was offered the chance of joining the owners Norman and Jeff for a ride around the Haven before they tied it up
for the day. As we went up and down having great fun a problem arose with one of the oil drums, it had either sprung a leak and filled with water or it had started to break away from its lashings, which meant that
the raft was sinking at one corner. Luck was on our side and we made it into the small outlet opposite Barley's Dock where they normally tied it up when not in use. The tide was still rising but we managed to get it
secured the only thing was that I was on the wrong side of the dyke when I jumped off and the fence across it was to flimsy to use to get back over to the other side and the raft was not near enough to use unless I
wanted to get wet through! This left me with the choice of walking along the edge of the dyke eastward until I was able to cross and climb to the path on the flood bank about two hundred yards from where I had
started.
The tide was very high but not what could be called a flood tide as it did not
fully come over the river banks. As I arrived back at the point we had tied up the raft
from the path I could see it now partly under the fence and submerged at one side with the Haven now very full of water and totally deserted. I made my way onto Low Burgage and headed for home once more.
The world disappears!
Out and about in the village one day found me wandering around the paths and strips
of land that ran round the edges of many of the fields that had been left as access by the farmers so they could move from field to field. I have one recollection of falling foul of a farmer when a number of us
passed through a wheat field and started to roll a round in it oblivious to what damage we could have have done if not stopped by the owner. The excuse of “we have seen others doing it!" made no difference we
were all given a good telling off. After we apologised the farmer told us that there was no public right of way where we were but if we were to walk through his fields that we were to walk along the strip around the
outside, or next time he would be having a word or two with our fathers about it.
It seemed back then to us that provided we stayed to the paths or edges of the
fields most of the farmers did not seem to mind us passing through them.
I had started my walk westward most likely along the old NLLR track bed as it
headed towards the back of the Church where I turned off and made my way to the east side of the village and once again into the lanes and fields gradually making my way to the river.
On the odd occasion I would end up passing through a field where a farmer was
working and sometimes he just nodded as he passed me and carried on with his job, other times he pulled up and wanted to know what I was doing, where I had been and going before returning to his work and I my
walking. The closer to the rive the bigger the flood bank looked as many of the fields were quite low. The point that I was making for was where the bank zigzagged before heading to wards South Ferriby. Upon
reaching the barbed wire I negotiated it, onto the side of the dyke that I had to jump over onto the flood bank, luckily for me my long legs made easy work of the task leaving only a few feet to the top. As my head
cleared the top I got the fright of my life as there was nothing to see! This made me slide back down the side of the bank and I sat there for some time wondering what had happened and looking back over the fields
that I had just crossed.
Plucking up courage I slowly moved back up the bank to where I had been before to
find that the river was covering all the land between its bank and the flood bank. The reason my first impression gave the sense that there was nothing there was due to a flood tide and the water was reflecting the
colour of the sky which was a silvery gray and there was very little movement an the surface and the far bank was not visible.
Now feeling somewhat stupid I stood on the path on top of the bank and took a good
look around to see the tops of the bushes there just sticking out of the water and small ripples running along the bank sides and in the distance to the East a dark smudge on the water that was Reeds Island.
The other way lay the outline of the Railway Dock chute remains. Walking along back to wards the Haven a large tree trunk floated past me and the small ripples got larger and then after a while became small once more but there was no river traffic at the time. When I reached the end of the bank I was able to see that Barley's Dock was under water and all the hard standing that came down to it. From the end of the flood bank that I had just walked along was a small road that ran alongside the Haven flood bank that joined with Low Burgage. This I used to get to the main road but instead of going home as originally intended I turned and went over the bridge and followed the small road that followed the haven flood bank on the west side. Just before reaching the flooded area of Barley's Dock a left turn was made and I passed over the few yards of high ground onto the old railway track bed that lead to the chutes and point. Once on the track bed I was level with the Flood Bank heading Westward and could see the extent of the flooding there, the “Long Grass” was covered and the area beyond also it looked rather silly with the top half of the separating fence sticking up through the water. I made my way as near to the Point as was possible as the end was level with the water where I spent a few minutes looking out over the river that seemed to leave a strange feeling having the water flowing within inches of my feet and past me on both sides.
Turning my back on the river I made my way up the slope at the side of the old
Railway Dock to where at its highest point the full Haven and River Humber's flooding could be viewed before cutting across to the old railway track bed and making my way up to Waterside Road and Low Burgage to
return home.
The next day saw another quick trip to the Haven area where the tide was out but
gallons of water were still flowing along the dykes at the bottom of the flood banks draining the water that was left after the tide went out into both sides of the Haven before making its way into the Humber. The
water continued to flow for a number of days and maybe weeks as the land once again dried out and returned to normal and the high tides stayed within the river banks.
November 5th
Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder Treason and Fireworks in your
own gardens? Yes those were the days when there were very few if any Smokeless Zones and each year as we grew up in the village a bonfire was built in our back garden
and fireworks let off to celebrate the discovery of the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament and the king with it in 1605 and the subsequent trial and putting to death the gang involved in the plot and the saving of the monarch.
Towards the end of September and through October I and my brothers would start to collect items that would burn on our bonfire, some of the things we collected were dead leaves, wood, cardboard boxes,
possibly a old car or motor cycle tyre, paper and virtually anything that would burn. All the materials would be stored in a dry place or covered up to keep them from getting wet through.
An effigy of a man would be made to represent one of the men involve with the plot
and named a `Guy` after Guy Fawkes. This was done by stuffing a pair of trousers with screwed up paper, a large bag for the body and a jacket that had the arms stuffed the same way into which the body was placed and fastened together and then to the trousers. The head was made the same way with a bag but it had a long stick in it that was pushed into the body to hold it in place then a pair of shoes or boots were fastened to the end of the legs. The head had some sort of material on it to look like hair and
a flat cap or bobble hat placed over it and secured. If we had been lucky and managed to get hold of a pair of overalls our job of making our `Guy` was made much easier as all we had to do was make sure the
front was securely fastened and stuff it with paper add the head and boots or wellington boots and cap to finish making it.
If the 5th November fell on a school day we would rush
home from school get changed out of our school clothes and start to build up our fire around a large metal pole Dad had hammered into the ground to support the `guy` with either Mum or Dad supervising. Then with the `guy` safely secured to the pole we then returned to the house for tea before returning to the garden later where Dad would light the fire. If the day fell on a weekend the fire would have been set up during the day. I remember one year we had our fire on the day before or the one after because Dad's shifts at work meant that he was be at home to supervise and let off the fireworks.
The fireworks were much better then than the ones that are bought now for home displays. I will admit that some of the ones that only make a bang are louder and the multiple can be quite annoying but
the rest have gone down in performance and up in price and mostly sold in various sized boxes only with very few sold separately in the shops.
The Winteringham store owned by Mr Potts each year had an open display cabinet full
of the many types of fireworks that could be bought, from the small penny (1d) bangers that were about an inch and a half long and about as thick as a pencil which gave off quite a loud bang for their size when let
off. There was also a larger banger about three inches long and half an inch thick these made even an louder bang, and were 2d and they came in boxes of six. I think that I am right in saying that the
Catharine wheel may have an historical attachment. This
firework is made from a powder filled spiral tube that spun on a pin pushed into a post when lit. Jumping Jacks this was another powder filled tube tied in a concertina or zig zag shape with what seemed like a very small explosive charge set in it at intervals that made it jump, Mum was not too keen on these as one year one was set off and after a couple of jumps it came towards her and then no matter which way she moved the Jumping Jack followed Mum around the garden!
Sparklers were another firework that were handheld. Once lit they would burn down the thin wire that the material was stuck to slowly, today's may have different colours as they burn but I had a packet
of `Standard fireworks.` Sparklers that had not been used but had been saved which we let off about six to ten years ago with my grandchildren along side modern ones and the were more interested in the old
single coloured ones and could not believe that the packet of six had only cost one shilling, about five pence in today's money. Pyramid and cone shaped fireworks were also on sale.
These would burn in a variety of colours and shapes from ones that looked like a bush to Mount Vesuvius that bubbled and frothed and looked like larva flowing down the side of a volcano. Roman Candles of various sizes which burnt with bright colours and at intervals would shoot out an object that burst into a myriad of colours way above our heads. There were the rockets of different sizes and prices, some went higher than the others and burst into multiple colours and others that just shot skyward and then fizzled out.
There were many other fireworks that we called pretty ones that came in many sizes
and shapes some with mames others without but mainly all within the range of our pocket money. The more expensive fireworks were made up in boxes that were still good value but we got more by buying them from the
cabinet and once placed in the brown bags and paid for we would head home.
Our fireworks expended and the guy no longer and the fire now a small heap of
glowing embers I used to take my bike and ride round the village to see if there were any other fires still burning but mostly the ones that could be seen were like our's - just small piles of embers faintly
glowing with the occasional flame shooting up when they were stirred by a small breeze. Then I would make my way to the top of Cliff Road from where I could look out over the valley towards West Halton And Whitton
for signs of fires or fireworks also across to the other side where on the hill top stood the village of Alkborough against the skyline. Sometimes I was lucky and would see the odd rocket making its way
skyward before disappearing or exploding into a multicoloured spread of colour. But these would soon die down leaving me once again heading into a smoke shrouded village and home. Getting up the following morning
some years when we went into the garden the fire would not be totally out but a small core of glowing embers could be found. These soon burnt out once the fire had been raked over.
The trend of today for a lot of people is to jump into their cars or travel and pay
an entry charge, stand behind the barriers and watch other people doing all the work at an organised event. I am not against such displays as there are large numbers of people that like to watch but don't like to be
the one that has to set the fireworks off or be close up to them. But I would still like to see good affordable fireworks still used in our own gardens.
One year the day after bonfire night a group of us lads found an unused firework
that was a tube about six inches long and three quarters of an inch wide. We all wanted the pleasure of letting it off but it ended up with one lad riding his bike with the lit firework pushed down his seat
stem into the bike frame up and down Back Lane in a cloud of red smoke until it burnt out. Just for the record this time I was not the person carrying out the stunt.
Stupid, silly and downright dangerous this stunt may have been but at the time as
young lads we did not think about the danger or harm that may have been caused.
As I have grown older I can now see what could have happened to any one of us and have tried to give fireworks the respect they command after all they are explosive devices and through the pictures on our TV nearly every day we can see the aftermath of what are in one sense more complicated types of fireworks can do.
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