So very evocative of the time: A still from Russell’s film.
This is a quick one that’s popped up via Facebook and the hero behind the Aldridge Cinema project: Russell Smith, who’s found and converted some cinefilm of Aldridge Carnival in the late 1960s – it’s really rather wonderful and very high quality.
Russel said:
Short clip of Aldridge Carnival year probably ’68 or ’69 – not politically correct these days with the Black and White Minstrals float…nor Health and Safety with children on the back of lorries while the crowd throw coins at them. But just look at the turn-out. A real sense of community. Starting at the Community Centre a proceeding down the High Street.
Lets put some Children on the back of lorries… no safety rails and drive the lorries close together while the crowd throw coins… and for good measure lets blacken some faces… could only be 1968 and the carnival. Look at the numbers turning out! From my fathers cine collection.
Aldridge Carnival, like those of Brownhills, Rushall and Pelsall, was hugely popular.
Fellow local blogger and top chap The Stymaster transferred this film of Rushall Carnival in the mid to early 70s some time ago.
Not forgetting of course, the Brownhills Carnival film from 1934/5 made by Edgar Pritchard, and supplied to the blog by Reg ‘Aer Reg’ Fullelove:
Although the first two have passed into history, Pelsall Carnival still continues. If you have any recollections of this event, or any pictures, film or other material relating to Brownhills or any other local Carnival, please do contact me. There must be a huge amount of this stuff in shoe boxes, family albums etc, yet nothing seems to exist in the public domain.
It seems odd that events such as this – that were the cornerstone of our communities for years – seem to have little or no historic record. I congratulate and thank all the people who’ve worked hard to get films like this online – from Russell Smith, The Stymaster, Wendy Jones to older members of the community like Reg Fulleove.
Please do comment here or mail me:BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.
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Afternoon chap,
Just sneaking a look at the site while at work. There was some more carnival clips on a previous article on here called “marching on” from a few years back, it had clips mostly from Polesworth but there was one from Bilston. I notice that if you go on the Midland Archive Central England site and search for carnivals under the advanced search section there are one or two more that come up from around the area. As I’ve said before, it’s a shame that these carnivals are no longer in existence because it would do a lot for public spirit and pride in the community but I suspect a lot of it is to do with health and safety and being able to obtain the correct liability insurance to cover such events these days…..By the way, met my now wife at Pelsall Carnival in 1977 but that’s another story.
Keep up the good work chap.
The quality on that Aldridge clip is excellent for old cine film. Nice one.
When the yellow car arrives on the Rushall carnival video the maid of honour nearest to the camera is my sister in law Jackie Hewitt, nee Dallow; the gal who today runs The Reachup. I think that you Bob are possibly a friend of Jackie? A most wonderful video and thank you.