What a gala day it was in the village for the Brass Band Contests, when many Brass Bands were invited to take part in what was regarded as a prestige event in East Anglia.

The whole village was alive with excitement as bunting was strung across the High Street, Union Jacks fluttering proudly from the windows, people dressed in their Sunday best awaiting the participating Bands to assemble on the Market Hill, resplendent in their many coloured uniforms

At about midday off they marched in perfect unison to the strains of "Old Comrades" along the High Street to the Homestead which was a meadow owned by Mr. Billy Payne where the Adjudicator would be hidden away in a small tent where he could hear but not see them.

Our Bandmaster at the time was a Mr. Johnny Singleton a dapper little Welshman who was not very tall and to conduct the band had to seek the aid of a stool, but to descend to take the band on the March had great difficulty and many was the time that a disaster was averted by the alertness of one of the Bandsmen.

Eventually, the Bands arrived at the Homestead amidst cheering crowds, where a Bandstand had been erected for each Band to play the appropriate 'Test Piece' which took up most of the afternoon.

For the non-musical the repartition of the 'Test Piece' became somewhat boring but this had been taken care of by the Organiser where many side­shows had been erected, Bowling for the Pig, which was very popular; Aunty Sally with her clay pipe teeth awaiting to be knocked out, Hoopla, Treasure Hunt, Kill the Rats, Darts, Ice Cream and Sweets which all added to the fun.

The most exciting event after the Bands had received their reports and the adjudicator had announced the winner (many arguments) was the greasy pole, this was a pole erected over Mr. Payne's pit with a box at the end containing a duck, lashings of grease was rubbed onto the pole to make it more difficult for the more agile to get to the end to release the duck, not many were successful but many many more had a good ducking.

Another popular event was the pillow fight, two lads balancing on a pole about eight feet from the ground endeavouring to knock each other off with sacks filled with straw.

At this time the majority of the people were be­ginning to feel exhausted from all their efforts but alas the day was not yet complete, a dance had been arranged on the lawn affronting Mr. Payne's house to the music of Billy Hutton's Band.

Around midnight festivities came to an end on what had been regarded as a day never to be forgotten.

I was a young lad proud to be a member of the Cawston Silver Prize Band which could boast among its many achievements "Champions of East Anglia" and having the Champion Euphonium player for three years running in Lenny Lee.

Ray Carman - February 1990