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| Azzabuv Quote | Reply | This message was updated on 6/27/2005 1:15:22 AM by Azzabuv | The Pied Piper of Heanor posted on: 6/27/2005 1:06:42 AM I only saw this phenomena occur once, over a given time period. I'm not certain of the exact year, but it was either 1947 or 1949 and the difference between this Pied Piper and the Hamlyn Pied Piper, was that instead of leading the children away from their homes, the Heanor Piper led the children en masse TO their homes. A dark Winter's snowy night, snow a foot deep, numerous children sledging down relatively traffic-free, steep streets, the heavily falling snow swirling back and forth beneath the street lights. A huddled figure passes on the pavement, head low, huddled protectively between hunched shoulders. "Hey, mister. What time is it"? you ask anxiously. He looks at you as he passes and if in a good mood, replies with a knowing smile - "Gone half six. He'll be here soon". "We know, we're off home", everyone shouts. A moment later, sledges are abandoned in the falling snow by the respective front gates or doors. The streets are bereft of children. All over Heanor, inside their homes, the children and quite a few adults, wait eagerly, excitedly, listening for the tune of the Piper - the man who has lured them home as no one else has ever done before. Hardly a child was to be found on any Heanor Street. Unique. Suddenly, a loud, informative voice echoes around the Town. Golden silence falls everywhere. Some adults listen with keen interest, as children shiver excitedly. The voice continues loudly, sharply. "and now.... it's time for - Dick Barton, Special Agent, with Snowy and Jock". and from 6:45, till 7 P.M. peace reigned happily over all Heanor streets. For weeks, after that radio program started, you'd be lucky to find more than a couple of kids on Heanor's streets at that particular time of the night. I suppose it was because of the past years of War and the uniqueness/novelty of a nightly adventure serial program with a good story-line(s). One of the first aimed solely at children. Dick Barton took all the baddies, including die-hard Nazis in his competent stride. He literally made you feel safe in those new post-war years. His two erstwhile companions, Snowy and Jock covered his back and he and you, couldn't go wrong. Then, after a year plus, it was announced that Dick was urgently required by the army and had thus re-enlisted - and the Pied Piper of Heanor was gone, for ever more. Of course, the phenomena of suddenly emptied streets, bereft of the majority of children occurred nation-wide at that particular time, but it was only Heanor streets i witnessed it happen on. It was a sight worth seeing. I bet Pied Piper one would have been a bit envious of him, after all, he'd controlled more children than the 136 he had. Then, at the start of the TV era, a new Dick Barton emerged onto the first screens - The Black Ace, but that's another story. Azzabuv.  |