Everybody would be out to witness this great spectacle. The High Street shops were dressed overall with flags and bunting, pavements were deeply lined with spectators and crowds of heads peered from upstair windows and balconies. With shops closed, Mr. Robert Hooper's donkey-drawn ice­cream cart did a roaring trade. Earlier in the day, the town water-cart had toured the processional route to lay the dust, but nothing short of a cloud­burst would cause the parade to be abandoned.

Following the legions on foot came mobile divisions of tiny tots from all the schools, riding on horse-drawn coal carts and farm wagons, cleansed and decorated for the occasion. In contrast, and at the very end, were the bonnetted and bearded veterans riding in brakes and wagonettes, re-living the thrills of their own childhood days.

The Schools in Newton Road

On arrival at St. Mary's Church whose walls were densely packed with sightseers, the procession divided so that the separate schools could proceed to their own quarters for tea. The Baptist children were accommodated at the Newton Road Council Schools while the veterans were honoured guests at a public tea held in the Baptist School Hall. At the former venue, the scholars removed mountains of bread and butter, followed by two sorts of block cake and swilled down by innumerable cups of tea that flowed from gigantic urns. It was a veritable gormandising contest with the most gluttonous competitors stuffing their pockets with any fragments that remained. At the adult tea, long lines of trestled tables creaked beneath the weight of similar if daintier fare than the children enjoyed, with the traditional delicacy of buttered dough cake in fruit and caraway seed varieties. Graces sung to fugal tunes before and after the meal prolonged the ecstasy of the gathering. Portions were sent to the sick and aged who were prevented from enjoying such rich and satisfying fellowship. What happy days! When wants were few, small joys yielded great pleasure.

Gate-crashing prevented

Immediately following tea, the children would proceed to their respective playing-fields, joined later by the adults. A popular venue for the Baptists was Mr. Jerry Knight's field in Wymington Road, being easy of access to the town and with plenty of room for races, organised games, and for the crowds to mill around in congenial spirit. As a precaution against gate-crashing, each scholar received a special ticket with tear-off portions entitling the holder to regu­lated attractions, chief among which were the swings, erected beforehand. Organised sessions of "tig" and "stag" were stimulating aids to the party spirit. Soon the Temperance Band would take up their positions and discourse pleasant tunes at intervals.

The main attractions were the races in which there was no lack of competitors. Girls and boys had their separate events with handicaps for age and prowess, featuring flat, egg and spoon, three-legged, potato, obstacle, skipping, and sack races. Few runners possessed special gear; generally they ran, jackets off, in stockinged feet. In order not to infringe the amateur status of winners, voucher prizes were awarded that could be spent at such local emporiums as Cartwright's, Snelson's, Croft & Nichols or at the Co-op.

As spending money was limited, the presence of a greengrocer's cart selling early summer fruits—mainly cherries—was adequate for the demand. In the early days of refrigeration, ice-cream was not a good outdoor line in hot weather.

Other diversions, popular to the adults, were the brake-rides "as far as the mill and back" and to the Bedfordshire border. Mr. Asher Abbott did brisk business in this two-counties tourist traffic.

As the evening wore on and that full feeling wore off, there came the moment for a traditional high-spot of the proceedings—the distribution of buns. The arrival of the cart bringing its inflated cargo was a signal for all to surge forward to the distribution point, where upon the surrender of the appropriate voucher, each scholar was regaled with a bun. The struggling and jostling occasioned gave rise to the term "bun-fight" by which these field-days were known.

Sometimes a tune in waltz-time by the band would tempt a few of the bolder folk to indulge in a little dancing, provided of course, most of the older folk had gone home. There was also opportunity for a little romance, and many life's partners were found at these tea-drinkings.

The grand climax came with approaching twilight; the releasing of the fire balloons. Scientifically-minded teachers were entrusted with the sacred task of checking for wind direction, and then filling the large bags with the propellant substance, the heat from which when ignited would cause the balloon to rise and float down wind. Great was the wonder evoked at the release of these ballistic mysteries. Every eye was turned skywards and when the last balloon was out of sight, all knew that another tea-drinking was over and it would be "back to school and work tomorrow".

Note: George Bayes, the author of this also wrote a book, in 1951, "These Years Have Told" about the history of the Baptist Church.

Please has anyone got pictures from a tea party?

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