Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Yes, I'm sick of these scented flower petals.

Dave Shorrocks .

My Sepia Saturday post this week is off-theme I guess.It's about dogs......which mine aint.Now,  it  had been about "pets" I would be a least halfway there.Let me explain...........At the end of November I wrote this post [How To Hate The Working Classes] In it I wrote about a few of Halifax's eccentrics. I briefly mentioned a guy who dressed up as a Roundhead Soldier..& used to ride around The Pennine Moors on his horse.I know not why.I remember once,driving along Blackstone Edge in thick fog..and suddenly he appeared silently (from shrubs & grassland) like an extra from The Twilight Zone.
Well! Last weekend I found a photo of him on facebook.I got into a long facebook conversation with Karl Williams who knew my "Roundhead Soldier" ;was a close friend of his for over 10 years.He suggested we meet up for a pint or three.He would give me the lowdown on his friend Dave Shorrocks [AKA Captain Helliwell.AKA Reverend Padgett.] plus bring along a couple of photos.We meet Up in A Halifax Pub next Wednesday at 7pm.Hopefully I will have more information after that.
Karl Williams
Here is a flavour of what Karl has already said.:
He "rode a Shire horse whilst wearing full armour..... committed suicide 10 years ago - decapitation by train wheels..... a very sad loss of one of the areas eccentrics........
"Met him one day on Heights Road, he warned me of the raping and pillaging happening in Heptonstall(it was the umpteenth anniversary) we had a lovely chat and he rode of towards Midgley.I saw him a couple more times when I was riding around the moors we would stop and admire the others horse, he was a real eccentric... very sad loss!"
Another friend (Tony Sharpe) wrote me "His horse was called Oliver. In his guise as Reverend Padgett at Shibden once, he was ranting about all the Popery. I said "Dave, all this potpourri?" He said "Yes, I'm sick of these scented flower petals."
Hopefully I May Have Some Photos & Tales of Captain Helliwell next week.In other news,Jah Wobble plays Hebden Bridge Trades Club again at the end of March.A Must-see for me.I will also be going back to Italy that month.A busy Spring!
You May Wish To See My Previous Photographs of Signore Wobble Here
Claus Friehe
Another connection between Sepia Saturday & facebook this week was regarding the groom in the photo in This post from November It was of wedding I attended at The Guild Hall in The City of London.The groom (who i named in the post )was Claus Friehe.he must have goggled his name and found my post.He contacted me this week on facebook & we are back in touch after 40 years.

24 comments:

Teresa Evangeline said...

Well, that gives a whole new way of looking at "popery." LOL love it.

Brian Miller said...

scented flower petals...haha that is awesome...

Kurt said...

We have a guy who gets on the subway and makes a speech about the end of the world, and he invites young women (and only young women) to join him in whatever it is he does. He looks to be about 60, with dyed black hair.

Tom said...

is that the gal from the Cranberries? Sure sounds like her.

i don't like too much popery either, but i guess i won't lose my head over it

tony said...

Yes It Was Tom, although I,ve Swapped the video since then.Sorry!

Perpetual Chocoholic said...

Sadly we seem to be lacking in the eccentric department of late. Nobody comes to mind off hand.

tony said...

Which Is A Good Thing!We Are All Eccentrics Now! Non?

21 Wits said...

Looking down I thought it was the cat, but I think it's flower petals...falling at my feet! How amazing it is to catch up with people on Facebook...with interesting stuff!

tony said...

Top Left.....Yea It Could be a Cat!:)

Alan Burnett said...

Hi Tony,
Thanks for the invite but I am not going to be able to make it on this occasion as we have people coming that evening. But do keep me in the loop as far as any further meetings are concerned and I will be fascinated to read your follow-up post.

tony said...

I will keep updated Alan.I'm not sure if this will be a one-off or not.Interesting stuff.

Akelamalu said...

I would have liked to have met Dave Shorrocks, I like eccentric people. :)

BTW Comments were turned off on your last two posts when I read them, so I was unable to comment.

Little Nell said...

Googling your own nme is fun - but scary. Look what it led to on this occasion though. You’ll have a lot of ground to make up after forty years. I enjoyed your story abut the eccentric; it was sad, poignant and funny all at the same time.

Bob Scotney said...

Bang on theme. It's a real shaggy dog story!

The Reverend sounds a real character. I'm looking forward to hearing more about him.

Wendy said...

I always enjoy stories of eccentrics and "local characters."

Anonymous said...

Oh, the secrets of urgency & peculiarities.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Very interesting! That is neat that you are going to meet up with his friend. Facebook comes in handy. Maybe we should have a Sepia Saturday FB page?

Have a great weekend,

Kathy M.

Unknown said...

English people seem to be leaning more to the eccentric side sometimes (that's not a bad thing). Maybe he's now haunting the woods as the headless rider?

Linda@VS said...

The problem with the popery and the pot pourri is that either can become too much of a good thing. Very entertaining post!

iODyne said...

just brilliant. no nation does 'loopy' like England, but as the dear and self-departed Isabel*Blow was first to mind, one must wonder if they have a higher rate of 'I am Out Of Here'.
see my * to confound Goggling? although it is wonderful that a few keystrokes can dismiss a 40 year separation.
the cops need to get better at it.

Dominic Rivron said...

Love the potpourri joke. I'll have to file it away for the rare occasions it might prove useful.

Dominic Rivron said...

And the Wandering Monk (just followed your old post)! He didn't (doesn't?) just frequent Calder Valley. I saw him once up near Bradford Airport.

My wife tells me was a regular sight in Wyke, Baillif Bridge, Stoney Lane, Lightcliffe...

Can't say I've any reason to suppose he wasn't a monk. (Come to think of it then if you think you're a monk then I suppose you are).

Jo said...

These odd and interesting characters seem to be fewer these days. I hope you have more news after your pint(s) with your friend. Jo (imagespast.wordpress.com)

Pearl said...

Very interesting.

We have a man here in Minneapolis, sees himself as an artist -- and perhaps he is... Firmly in his late 50s, he has worn the same thing every single time I've seen him: black pants, a white "Pirate-style" shirt with billowing sleeves, a thick black head scarf with dyed-black ringlets of hair pouring out, a pencil-thin mustache.

Ack. Wish I could remember his name...

Pearl

p.s. Mary will come to your house to clean but demands shepherd's pie...

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