1970, Music, Peace, and Love!!

In 1970 the Vietnam War was still going strong, thousands dying and not surprisingly a large anti-war was growing worldwide.

It was the time of Hippies, Afghan Coats, long hair, free love, and massive pop festivals.

The biggest of which was Woodstock, where an estimated 400,000 people attended.

However the following year there was one on the Isle of Wight.

There had been two before on the island, Bob Dylan being the highlight, in1969, but now Firey Creations, run by Ron and Ray Foulk decided to show the Yanks how it should be done properly.

So, the sleepy village where I lived was set to be the site of the biggest pop festival ever, and according to the Guinness Book of Records an estimated 700,000 people attended ...

Now, back in those days, it was before decimalization and the money was pounds, shillings, and pence.

The average wage was four pounds and the tickets for the 6 days were £3

But the big bands, The Who, Hendrix, etc only played over the weekend.

Now yours truly had gone to see a friend of mine for the week before it started, up in Barnsley.

I vividly remember getting off the train with my chum at Lymington Pier to get on the ferry home.

What the xxxxx, there was a city of lights where I lived.

We got on the ferry as a gang of Hells Angels rode their bikes on.

At the time scared guys. German helmets, cut-off denim over leather jackets with their colours on them.

They stalked around the packed ferry sneering and pushing the hippies out of the way being hard cases.

We were 15 and shit scared ...

( Now..a book has come out, called Isle of Wight 1970. A view from the crowd... My wife bought it for me a couple of years ago, and as I looked through it there were pictures of the Hells Angels in it. A good fart would have knocked them over. Hells Angels? They had clean white T-shirts on.

I know some guys from the chapters in the UK and the States and they do not wear white T-shirts when on a 'run'. Check it out)

As I flicked the pages so many memories, the weather was amazing but it was the smell that I always remembered, incense, dope cooking, people, so many thousands in Freshwater all wanting a good time with no hassle.

I closed the book having gone down memory lane and noticed a shirt this guy was wearing on the front cover. I looked, looked again, F*ck me, it is me. My Aunty Jean bought it for me at Xmas.

I had hair!!!! ( But it does make me look fat)

What are the chances of me being front page?

Now honestly, there is so much to tell about this I am going to have to split it into two Blogs, no make it three, so much

to tell but hang in there because it is interesting.

(Nb If you get the book I will sign it for a small fee, ) ok, joke!

Where was I ...

Unbeknown to me the powers that be had anticipated that a police presence would be needed at such a big event, so in the weeks before they had launched the 'adopt a cop thing' which was that if you had a spare room you could have a copper stay with you for the duration, presumably to stop little old ladies being raped in their beds by drug crazed Hippies.

Anyhow it worked well.

The thing was 99% of people there just wanted a good time, get stoned, listen to the bands, and behave themselves, and they did.

The weather helped it was HOT.

Also, the coppers who had been recruited from the South of England were all young.

Work it out, they wanted to see The Who, Hendrix, etc and we're going to get paid for it. Low key they were brilliant.

They just wandered around the thousands, having a joke, having their photos taken with Hippies wearing their helmets, ( cameras back then) brilliant policing.

Did they care if someone was smoking a joint, did they hell!

Why should they?

Everyone was having a good time.

But.. My Gran had a cafe then, and she had two coppers staying, more of this in another blog, but some a**holes came in and caused trouble, the two old bill, who were luckily upstairs at the time sorted it out, HARD, word went round quickly, don't F*ck with the locals.

It was a one-off.

Anyhow, next time ...

Cowbells, Amulets, Posters, and how to get change from a Ten Shilling note.

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