Last Updated 7th February 2001
[p113- Souvenir Programme - Colchester Ring Meeting]
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Meeting at Colchester 5-7 September 1958
The sixty-forth meeting of the Morris Ring was held at Colchester on the week-end September 5th-7th 1958, at the invitation of the Colchester Morris Men.
About 150 dancers took part representing 17 clubs: - Bedford, Benfleet Hoymen, Birmingham University, Burton-upon-Trent, Cambridge, Colchester, Coventry Junior Team, East Surry, Headington Quarry, King’s College (N/C), Martlet, Oxford, Ravensbourn, St. Albans, Standon, Thames Valley and Westminster.
As a prelude to the week-end, the host club together with the Junior Team, gave a show near the War Memorial at 6p.m. on the Friday. The Morris Ale (in full dress, by request) was held at Greyfriars School, which formed the headquarters for the Meeting. Both the food and the drink at the Ale were most generously provided by the Colchester Club, fair shares being ensured by the issue of tickets. At about 7.30 owing to the oppressive heat, it was decided to continue the dancing out of doors on the terrace at the back of the building, but within half an hour thunder was heard and rain began to fall. The Ale was again resumed indoors to the increasingly
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frequent accompaniment of thunder claps, some of exceptional violence. About 80 men had arrived before the height of the storm, which was officially described in the following morning’s papers as "one of the most spectacular electrical storms of the century", causing road & rail chaos in the London area and widespread flooding in Kent & Essex. Inevitably some of the men had their journeys prolonged; 13 Martlets left West Sussex early on Friday evening: two spent the night in the porch of Shenfield parish church while others (together with one East Surry man who had been delayed by a puncture in the flooded Mile End Road) were marooned by floods at various points between Rumford & Chelmsford including 5-hours delay at Winford bridge during which some time was spent helping to guide diesel trucks through floods above their headlamps. This group reached Colchester in time for Saturday breakfast, but the last 4 Martlets where delayed by floods in Kent (where they slept in a barn & were given breakfast by the farmer), got their sump full of river silt and took, in all 23 1/2 hours
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over their journey, arriving at Colchester at 4 o’clock on Saturday afternoon! The Benfleet Hoymen made an early start on Saturday, leaving home before the arrival of the morning papers. After driving 3 miles towards Colchester in blissful ignorance they were compelled to return and drive in the opposite direction in order to circumnavigate the floods, eventually joining the traffic jam on the Chelmsford road. By the exercise of great resourcefulness they succeeded in joining their tour at its first stopping place.
Meanwhile those fortunate enough to have reached Colchester the night before viewed the spectacular flashes of lightening, took a good nights rest on mattresses on classroom floors and in the morning enjoyed a first rate breakfast prepared & served (as were all the meals) by or under the direction of the ladies of the Colchester group of the EFD&SS. At 10 a.m. six tours (more or less complete) set off for Colchester and a seventh was due to be carried out by Headington Quarry on their way to the Meeting.
Tour 1: St. Albans & Oxford danced at Colchester, Nayland, Stoke by Nayland, East Bergholt, Flatford and Stratford St. Mary.
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Tour 2: Thames Valley & Colchester Junior Team to Dedham, Maningtree, Dovercourt, and Colchester.
Tour 3: Benfleet Hoymen, Bedford & East Surry to Wealey, Thorpe-le-Soken, Walton-on-Naze & Frinton-on-Sea.
Tour 4: Westminster & Martlet to Thorrington, St. Osyth and Clacton-on-Sea.
Tour 5: Ravensbourn, Burton-upon-Trent & King’s College N/C to Gt. Bentley, Lt. Clacton, Clacton & Holland-on-Sea.
Tour 6: Cambridge, Standon, Birmingham University & Coventry Junior Team to Rowhedge, Tollesbury& Maldon.
Tour 7; Headington Quarry danced at Bishop’s Stortford, Dunmow, Braintree & Copford.
Apart from sundry diversions due to the floods all tours were carried out according to plan, assisted by large adhesive numbers stuck on the back windows of the vehicles, and with as much success as could be expected in view of the broadcast warnings to the public against attempting to reach the east coast on that day! Tour 6 encountered the usual Saturday afternoon wedding at Maldon and appropriate honours were paid.
All tours returned to Greyfriars School for tea at 4.15, and the combined
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display followed in Castle Park at 6.30 to an appreciative audience. Toward the end of the show some rain fell- the first since the previous nights deluge. The nearby alehouses were well patronised and the feast was held at the school at 8 p.m., the guest being the deputy mayor of Colchester (Councillor C.E. Wheeler) the Divisional Education Officer (Mr. F.E. Geary), and the Vicar of St. Peter’s Church (the Rev. T.H. Hollingdale). 156 men were present.
After an excellent repast the Squire (Bill Cassie) gave the formal toast and then invited Donald Cassels to propose the toast to Colchester & the Colchester M.M. Donald welcomed Cllr. Wheeler & his fellow guests to the Feast and, referring to the list of acknowledgments in the programme of the meeting, he said he was mystified by the mention of various local hospitals and wondered if it could be that, preparing for all the eventualities, they had reserved beds for the men. Turning to the Colchester Morris Men, Donald recalled seeing the Colchester Boy’s Morris of the 1930’s perform at the Albert Hall: some of those dancers formed the nucleus of the present club, about whose health he had no doubts at all, and he thanked
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them for doing us proud on the present occasion.
Councillor Wheeler replied on behalf of the town, welcoming the Morris Men & mentioning the work of "Sandy" Heard who did more then anyone else to establish Morris dancing in the town. Replying on behalf of the Colchester M.M. Don Wilby (Squire of the club) thanked Donald for his kind remarks and said he would particularly like to acknowledge the great help given by Mrs. Heard during the period of re-establishing the club. He welcomed the clubs that had struggled through to the Meeting, particularly the strong contingent from Headington Quarry, and he wished Jim Phillips (Squire Elect of the Ring) a happy term of office. He apologised for the unavailability of the Town Hall for the Feast and thanked Mr. Geary and the Headmaster of Greyfiars who made the School available for the week-end at no little inconvenience. He explained to Donald that the acknowledgment to various hospitals was on account of the loan of mattresses. Thanks were due also to the Vicar of St. Peter’s, & to the Police for their respectful co-operation, correspondence with
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the bagman having been regularly addressed to Brigadier G.O. Smith. Finally Don pointed out how much of the credit for the organisation & smooth running of the Meeting was due to Bill Smith & Ewart Russell (Bagman for the Meeting) thanking them on behalf of all for their hard work.
The Squire then announced that although he was not formally handing over office until the following Saturday at Whitley Bay, he proposed to make now a token of preliminary handover to Jim. Whereupon he presented to Jim the Squire’s ceremonial brooch. In acknowledgment Jim made a short speech urging them to give a thought to their Morris and capped this with a rousing song, "Jones’s Ale".
The Bagman conveyed greetings and apologies for absence from the Abingdon Morris Dancers, London Rodney Morris Men & past-Squire Kenworthy Schofield. He then read from the Log Book the accounts of the Meetings at Derby and Kingston-on-Thames. After one or two more songs the feast was brought to a close at 10.20 and dancing followed near the War memorial continuing until 11.30.
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After breakfast on Sunday morning there was a business meeting of Club Representatives. A procession was formed to St. Peter’s Church for Matins, the Morris men occupying the North Aisle. The service was conducted by the Vicar and the Club Staffs of Association were presented at the altar.
Afterwards there was an hour's dancing in the Main Car Park in pleasant autumn sunshine. Lunch at the school brought to a close a week-end which was extremely enjoyable, unusually memorable – though not for the same reason to everybody – and exceptionally well organised by the host club. The bag (including the sale of Programmes) totalled £99, and largely owing to the goodwill of local tradespeople in cutting their charges to the minimum and the generosity of many relations & friends of the Colchester Men in giving & preparing food, a surplus of £37 was transferred to Ring funds.
J. Phillips
11.7.59
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