In the words of Tom Oxley "We had to abandon the first attempt… As we carried the ladder very quietly up the fire escape outside the hall we saw teachers playing badminton. We decided to leave the ladder out of the way on the roof; and then gingerly and very quietly retraced our steps down the fire escape. We should have checked before we set off… Anyway, we agreed to return the next night.
This time the hall was deserted. Getting over the roof was quite easy but the last bit was tricky, having to carry the banner and manhandle the ladder so that we could lean it against the tower. We then had to climb up and pass the large banner up very carefully. Fortunately it wasn’t very windy otherwise the banner could have blown away. At any time we could also have dropped it - a disaster. It was late at night but the other major risk was people looking up and seeing the activity on the roof. Hence all the lookouts…
The final approach [diagram above] was quite scary. I think Bob and I held the ladder while Hedgy (Jack Barber) and Fish (Derrick Fisher) climbed up to the terrace around the base of the spire. I and Bish (John Lumby Bishop) then followed and between us we gingerly passed and maneouvered the banner into position on the front of the tower. Somehow we managed to get some rope around the tower to secure it albeit at an angle. As you can see from the photograph it was quite a messy job really… Very relieved that we’d done it, we then all climbed back down over the roof and replaced the ladder. By this time it was late at night. I’d cycled to Retford from Worksop on two consecutive nights, and I was quite tired, probably mostly from all the stress and excitement, by the time I got home. I can’t remember what I said to my mum and dad about being so late back on two nights…"
[webmaster 2024-06-24 04:50:38]
Bob Fearnley has emailed me recalling that
"we put the banner up on a Friday evening and it was Monday before it was taken down, having been up all weekend. John and I were the two who climbed the last bit to fasten the banner round the spire. John actually did the tying while I held it." [Tom Oxley 2024-07-15 12:00:07]