There were two special days in my childhood

Christmas day because of all the presents

Bonfire night on November 5th with fireworks

There was much anticipation for both days

But much more action leading up to bonfire night

First a bit of history for those of you who were not born in the UK

In 1605 England was ruled by the Protestant King James VI

Catholics were oppressed and a small group decided to overthrow the monarchy

Their plan was to blow up Parliament and kill the King

Gunpowder barrels were smuggled into vaults beneath the houses of parliament

Their plot was leaked to the authorities who searched the building

Guy Fawkes was guarding the gunpowder barrels and was arrested on November 5th

He was tortured to reveal the names of his conspirators

They were rounded up and executed for high treason

The King pronounced that bonfires be lit all over the land to remember that Guy Fawkes had failed to blow up parliament

So fast forward about 360 years later

The tradition of lighting bonfires on November 5th lived on

My gang of kids spent weeks collecting wood and anything else combustable

It was hidden to stop rival gangs stealing it

We stuffed old clothes with straw to make an effigy of Guy Fawkes

We wheeled him around town shouting “penny for the guy”

The cash was spent on fireworks

A few days before November 5th we would start to build our bonfire on waste ground in our ‘hood’

Somebody had to stand guard to prevent rival gangs from stealing our bonfire material

If left unattended it would disappear in an instant

The bonfire pile would grow bigger on the day by donations from families in our street

The final thing put on the bonfire pile was our Guy Fawkes

To be burned ceremonially on the evening of November 5th

Fireworks were lit to fill the sky with sparks

Not an organized firework display

Just a bunch of kids setting them off randomly

Its a miracle we did not blow each other up

We would all sing around the bonfire

Remember remember the 5th of November