It’s the fifth and not a bonfire to be seem unlike when I was a growing teen the highlight of the year for me. A month or so before the day someone would suggest it was that time to start collecting for our bonfire and we would set about it with some relish.
We lived in a small area so bodies on the ground were tight but we all tended to muck in and we had a ready supply of wood from the houses being demolished a stones throw away from where we built our bonfire. We would burn anything we could besides searching buildings due for demolition we would go around down door to door collecting. We soon picked up the trick of ripping up settees and armchairs in hope of loose change.
We were able to collect from houses being knock down because our local rivals the Woodward’s gang moved out as their homes were demolished giving us free reign over the bounty on offer. We both would defend our territory by having stone fights it was just like dodge ball you didn’t want to be hit. I was a few times and it hurt.
At night, we would sit around the fire guarding our woodpile from rivals who may burn it. If we weren’t sitting around, we would be sneaking off to try to burn down someone else’s hard work. Grangetown was our main target and as I said, we were from a small gang and outnumbered by the Grangetown gangs but that didn’t stop us venturing across the bridge. I can’t remember them coming over to our side of the river.
We built our bonfire of the fifth, for some of the boys would try the I don’t feel well angle or like me have an illegal day off school if bonfire night fell on a weekday. That night you could stand in the Hamadryad Park, which we called the Old Park back then and you could see bonfires being lit all around Cardiff Bay.
No more bonfires unofficial anyway, health and safety all over you, over 18 to buy fireworks, no more bangers I am so glad I was a child of my time.
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