From the Burnley Express Archive: 50,000 enjoyed an action-packed weekend in Burnley - were you one of them?

The title of the article, when published in the Burnley Express, in 1970, was “The Blue Eagles Fly In” and the location referred to was the Prairie Playing Fields, on Windermere Avenue, Burnley.
By Roger Frost
Published 20th Aug 2020, 15:45 BST
Drummers Staple, Smith and Lewis, of the Corps of Drums, the King's Own Border Regiment, let these children from Highfield Avenue, Burnley, try their hand with the drumsticksDrummers Staple, Smith and Lewis, of the Corps of Drums, the King's Own Border Regiment, let these children from Highfield Avenue, Burnley, try their hand with the drumsticks
Drummers Staple, Smith and Lewis, of the Corps of Drums, the King's Own Border Regiment, let these children from Highfield Avenue, Burnley, try their hand with the drumsticks

A lot has changed, at this location, in the 50 years that have passed since then. At the time of this event, the Prairie Fields was an open piece of land between Colne Road and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. I recall seeing only football and rugby facilities, but now there is a golf driving range, numerous small pitches for soccer and a splendid clubhouse.

How things have changed. It might not be possible, today, to hold an event like the one held here 50 years ago. Unbelievably, some 50,000 people, over three days, crowded on to the Prairie to see an army display. On the Sunday alone there were 20,000, that’s as those who attend Premier League football matches at Turf Moor!

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“A fantastic success”, was how Major H. I. Seed, organiser of the display and recruiting officer for the North-west district, described the event.

Burnley has long since been a good recruiting ground for the Army and the emphasis was on action at the outset with helicopter and motorcycle displays and simulated parachute jumps from a 40-foot high platform. These were followed, on the Sunday, when six parachutists, the famous Red Devils, jumped from 2,000 feet on the Prairie.

If you are wondering who the “Blue Eagles” were, they were a helicopter team, who performed, what the reporter for the Express described, as a “Square Dance in the Sky” and other exciting manoeuvres. All this above an enthralled crowd.

The motorcyclists of the White Helmets – the world’s oldest display of this kind – were only able to perform on the Saturday and the Sunday, as the ground was too soft and dangerous on the Friday. Youngsters were compensated by the catering stand of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, which gave away over 300 freshly baked loaves, buns and cakes!

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There were also stands and displays by the Military Police, the Parachute Regiment and the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Stands depicted what life was like in the Infantry and the Signals.

All of this might have been quite enough but a big part of events, like the one described above, is music. Bands from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, the Royal Artillery and the King’s Own Border Regiment were present, so it is not surprising that everyone was happy.

I wonder if anyone took the King’s Shilling and joined up? Whatever, is the answer to this question, the day appears to have been a great success. We should have more of them, but, perhaps, not on the Prairie.