The picture clearly shows the men dancing 'Processional Down', in a dance called ‘Lads a Bunchum’, from Adderbury, Oxfordshire.
That dance will feature in our programme again this year, and we hope to get then-and-now photos from the very same spot.

Who is who?

Sean Goddard, a past Squire but now ‘Captain’ of the side responsible for training the men, recalls some research for their 50th anniversary in 2003. 
'I was able to identify and name all the dancers, as well as a large number of spectators.'  Some were villagers, some were local folk-dance enthusiasts, but there are still some he hadn’t been able to identify.

Fulking Folk

Sean was also able to identify many of the spectators - I wonder who is still around in Fulking: Mr Molesworth; Judy Jackson; Tom Fleming; Mrs Kath Burse; Mrs Baldy; Vi Hollingdale; Mrs Cotter; Charlie and Barry Richards; Mr & Mrs Watts (Landlord and landlady of the pub); Mrs Rapley; Nigel Rapley; Mrs Lee; Joan Ridge; Doris Franks; Sonia Gretton; Val Reike, (a Ravensbourne Morris Man); and Jean Elphick and Jennifer Westbrook (members of the Shoreham Country Dance Club).

Chanctonbury Men

Sadly, not all of the thirteen members of Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men are still around, although some are.  Most of the members were aged between 20 and 30 at the time and they were, as now, from all types of job (although occupations are never discussed).

Jim Hoare, then a mechanical engineer, is well retired but still ‘fiddler’ for the side, and turns up every week throughout the year to play, and coach the 'young ‘uns'.  Then there was Michael Nutt, a music student; Arthur Edwards, engineer; Mike Nash, supermarket manager; Geoff Biggs, clerk. John Portlock, apprentice fitter; Richard Trigwell, medical student; Tony Woods, occupation unknown; Derek Peachy, clerk; Paul Plumb, shopkeeper and BBC broadcaster; Ian Scott-Walker, market gardener; and Alec Davey, a carpenter.  The last name was Paul Morris, a silversmith, as the ‘hobby horse’, which is now in the Marlipins Museum at Shoreham-by-Sea (although it will be brought out again for 2010!)