Bonfire boys lose another stalwart

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Rye Bonfire Society is sad to report that we have lost another of our long-standing members – Ashley W Booth.

Ashley Booth
Ashley W Booth

Born a Ryer, into the long established and large Booth family, he was therefore doubly qualified to be a Rye Bonfire Society member since birth, as have been most of his family. Ashley’s commitment to Rye Bonfire never diminished from being a pyrotechnic stalwart to always ensuring that maroons were let off on time on Armistice Day.

Ashley was always with us for all the unpleasant jobs, clearing bonfire sites on cold and wet Sunday mornings, picking up discarded torches etc, but he is probably most noted for creating the unique Rye identity of red and black (Rye colours in many walks) in our case, the colour of our burning boat.

Prior to the reformation of the society we had not really had a uniform identity, such as the stripes of the Lewes societies, but Ashley came up with black waistcoats, red jumpers and of course top hats.

In fact he made nearly all of our top hats and I am sure that most of us, however old we may be, are still proud to wear them today.  If you were to have cut Ashley in half you would have read Rye Bonfire all the way through.

We send our deepest condolences to Christine, Laurence, and all his family. We will let everyone know of the arrangements once confirmed on www.ryebonfire.co.uk, https://www.facebook.com/RyeBonfireSociety or https://twitter.com/RyeBonfire

. Photos: Neale East and Rye News Library

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