No, not an emergency call at Rye Harbour but the Cinque Ports Morris Men celebrating the ancient tradition of welcoming in the summer on the first of May, writes Martin Bruce. You would have needed to be up with the lark to have caught them “dance up the dawn” at 5.30am in Smallhythe before moving on to Winchelsea church. After their Rye Harbour frolics (pictured above), the side moved on to Rye for more celebration and dancing. “At least the exercise keeps us warm,” remarked Les Cox on a distinctly chilly morning. Cox once, some years ago, forgot his hat on May Day and always appears without it now, being affectionately known by his colleagues as “Hatless”: a telling detail in what feels a very English tradition of folk celebration. [Photo: Martin Bruce]
Martin Bruce