Accidently in Bank Holiday Parade, Orpington

I was in the Bank Holiday Parade in Orpington on Bank Holiday Monday.   Fame at last!

Mind you, I wasn’t supposed to be!

Adrain and the others in the Boys Brigade were leading the Parade and Iva was to walk alongside, handing out leaflets inviting people to follow the Parade to Goddington Park.  As it was pouring with rain, Iva suggested that Jonathon and myself stay in the car and go direct to the Park with Alan, after dropping her off at the start at Carldon Parade.  We were happy with this in view of the weather ….but no one remembered to mention our plan to Alan!  (it must be catching!!).  So when he dropped Iva off at Carlton Parade traffic lights, and me and Jonathon just sat, Alan said “You’d better get out quick, the lights are changing” and because being a bit slow witted runs in our family we did, and stood there in the rain like a couple of lemons.  The Jonathon suggested we “follow Mum” and we crossed the road and caught up with her, much to her surprise as she thought we were on our way to Goddington.  The band was all lined up in the Pacemaker Uniforms (white silk shirts, little black boleros and black trousers with their flat Spanish type hats) ready for the off and already quite wet.  Iva immediately took me in hand and got me in the Band van which follows the Band in the Parade – so there I was, right towards the front of the procession, sitting up in style in the front of the van like some Dowager Duchess. Gosh!  It nearly went to my head!

Poor Iva and Jonathon were trotting alongside handing out the leaflets to the people lining the High Street, and getting soaked in the process, whilst I was dry as a bone inside the van AND had the bonus of having a Yorkshire terrier called “Tiny” sitting on my lap and looking out at the crowd.

I was quite surprised at how many people had turned out to watch on such a bad day, especially with the Telethon being on at the time, but the driver of the van said they were all probably either friends of or related to the various people in the Parade on the floats and such like. “They must be” he said “only a fool would turn out in this weather”.

Grace Russ - 9th June 1988