Comments on: Firework Fetish 2: Indoor Fireworks

By: terence

terence — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:54:18 +0000

May the Fawkes be with you all!

By: Ice Fountains

Ice Fountains — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:39:56 +0000

Hello Terence, very nice website. Take a look at our indor fireworks.

By: Sally

Sally — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:41:47 +0000

Your blog posts are very entertaining, truly laughing out loud! Thanks for sharing your wit!

By: keith

keith — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:00:52 +0000

nice colours on your site here, and your recollections were vivid enough to get a strong scent also…thank you very much, you are the only person who posted the rare image of the fireworks…..mmm..nectar )

By: keith brock

keith brock — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:32:12 +0000

Hi Terence,

Thank you for sharing your passion for indoor firworks from a bygone age.

I don`t know if you are aware, but there is a `not for profit` society called the UKPS, I and few others are in the process of creating the UK`s first firework museum in west sussex.

Please take a look at our dedicated project website – http://www.wellsatamberley.org

You can also join our forum (free) or join our firework society – http://www.pyrosociety.org.uk

cheers

Keith

By: Marcus

Marcus — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:04:26 +0000

Hi Terence, stumbled upon your website whilst waiting 4hours for a plane to Malta. You may remember me, I lived down the chalets with Chaz, and generally bummed around Maldon in my younger years.
Saw you on soneones Facebook and got directed here.
I was on a real nostalgia trip reading about the fireworks. Isn’t it great how the net has bought people together. I no longer feel so alone in my fondness for fondling a firework!
I found a forum called UKFR, and we get together once or twice a year and have a play in a field somewhere. My names Shedman on the forum. What a relief to find some likeminded nutters!
I’m hoping to see some fireworks in Malta. They make the most intricate and elaborate and massive catherine wheels, plus the shells, made by the churches, are quite a spectacle, being hand designed to fill an entire acetylene bottle which is then used to launch them. Health and safety, although important is secondary to the love of the fireworks. Check out Maltese fireworks and Las Fallas in Valencia if you want to combine a holiday and a passion!
Glad to see you’re still rocking and rolling, last saw you down the maltsters around 99 so may have to look up another gig, and I’ll bring a little something for your collection!
God Bless

By: Terence Ruffle

Terence Ruffle — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:25:19 +0000

I’m amazed and delighted by the reaction to my Firework Fetish articles.
It would seem I’m not the only person in this country who loves and adores Pyros, especially the old “Blue touchpaper” variety, which were finally phased out in 1995 because of safety factors. The reason being was that they were inconsistent in terms of fuse timing, and indeed as my Pyro buddy Martin Weselby says, there were times when you’d light the blue touchpaper and the Firework would ignite immediately, as a result of powder leaking into the fuse. This did make things a bit more exciting on occasions and taught you to respect them more!
People may not be aware but there’s a growing number of Firework “Fetishists” in this country who collect the vintage blue touchpaper firework memorabilia, and I for one can totally understand that. Having spoke to a number of these people there’s several things they all have in common: obviously they adore Fireworks, and love lighting them, and have great nostalgia for the pre 1995 Pyros.
And a general nostalgia for the 1970′s too, when music, art and literature were on fire! I think it’s now given that was the last time British culture was truly original and meant anything, certainly globally but definitely nationally.
These people are patriotic too, and see Fireworks as a major part of British culture.
Our sort are typically in their 40′s and older with the type of moral upbringing that made us respectful of our parents and authority in general(ok at least up til the Punk years, when we had time out!)which instilled a proper set of morals to deal with life, and made us pretty damn responsible adults.
We were taught old Christian values, knew right from wrong, respected other people’s property and beliefs, whilst still reserving the right to say “Bollocks!” when we disagreed.
One of the big things that unites most of our generation is a disgust at the “Nanny state” and all that entails, and truly see it as a complete erosion of British culture and freedom in our society.
It’s incredible. In their efforts to minimise costs and increase profits big business is watering everything down, our Fireworks, our food, our coffee, our booze, with the over-zealous Health and Safety brigade backing them all the way. As the Reverend Ron Lancaster said in November 2007 “The only growth industry in Britain is Health and Safety”.
But the very people that are telling the masses what they should do, and what should be “banned” have been shown to be completely corrupt, in every possible way. They have lied to us, and stolen from us, and they continue to do so.
A lot of these “clever idiots” harp on about our “broken” society, and we can all see evidence of that being true.
But I sincerely believe these people should rule by example, yet what’s the average young Chav going to think when he hears his local MP has been robbing the country blind for many years? I’m sure he thinks “F**k ‘em, I’ll have some of that!”
These buffoons don’t realise they are the very people helping the moral decline of this country, along with of course the more unsavoury elements of American culture. Ok I know my parents thought the New York Dolls were going to turn me and my buds into cross dressing transsexual drug fiends(what’s wrong with that then?)but Kee-rist they didn’t preach misogyny, murder and the “kill or be killed” attitude of the basest forms of Rap.
I don’t know how to fix our beautiful nation, but I do know just like a partner in a relationship that has “a bit on the side”, trust is broken between us and our “Old boy’s club” politicians, and I can’t see how it can ever be restored. Because they’ve lied to me so many times, have been shamed as liars and criminals and continue to lie and I see no change in the future. The best thing that could happen is they all step down and we start anew. And hey let’s chop all the heads off the monster, the parliamentary committees, the junkets etc. If we stopped ALL that robbery we’d probably have a fully functional NHS, and money in the coffers for proper care for the elderly, which I believe is the most important problem facing our country in the near future.
There’s a song, it’s called “Rule Britannia”. which was originally a poem by James Thompson(who was a Scot!), set to music by Thomas Arne, in 1740. It’s probably on the government’s banned list now, but the song was originally meant to show a pride in the freedom we had as a nation(personified by Britannia, a symbol of our fair isles since Roman times, and a beautiful woman to boot!). Of course this probably offends any number of politically correct souls nowadays, my advice to them being if it bothers you, bugger off!
The lyrics of the first 3 verses are:
1
When Britain first, at Heaven’s command
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:
“Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
“Britons never will be slaves.”
2
The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
“Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
“Britons never will be slaves.”
3
Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke;
As the loud blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
“Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
“Britons never will be slaves.”

There’s also a version that contains the lyric “War shall cease, welcome Peace”, still amazingly apt!
As David Bowie once said: ” Give us back our unity, give us back our family…………….”
Where is Guy Fawkes when we need him the most? “The only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions”!!!

By: John

John — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:40:58 +0000

I found this site looking for ‘Body’s’ the chemist – my mother worked there in 1940!

By: Martin Weselby

Martin Weselby — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:21:21 +0000

Hi Terence.

Absolutely brilliant blog on Indoor Fireworks. I couldn’t have summed them up better myself and I own the box you describe! Such a shame such simple pleasures have virtually disappeared now. My mate’s son has just bought a modern pack to let off at Christmas and to his dismay two of the fireworks had actually been removed from the pack due to the latest regulations!

Your other Firework Fetish blog is also brilliant, bringing back some great memories including the Johnny Seven (with which I accidentally shot my Uncle’s carefully constructed Airfix Galleon, complete with cotton rigging) and the Civil War Cards (remember the Battle Cards as well!). I’ve also got a bit of a firework fetish (some call it Pyromania!) and have quite a large collection of memorabilia. My article halfway down the following web-page might interest you:

http://surrey.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people-and-places/people/main-menu-food-and-drink-drink-features-surrey-wine-heard-it-on-the-grapevine–177717/page/2/

If you want some other photos of indoor fireworks and other firework items in my collection, I’d be happy to send you them.

You whole site is really interesting and has brought back some great memories for me and a sudden reminder of those famous words on the back of the Ziggy Stardust album which my parents always regretted “TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME”

Cheers.

Martin