In Morton Manor, another member of the Women’s Institute, Alexandra Forbes-Kitchener, wife of the captain, was reading one of her old Woman & Home magazines. The recipe for vol-au-vent had worked perfectly, which merely left her wondering whether she should fill them with creamed chicken. While this was more to Rupert’s taste, she thought something a little less exotic would be a more palatable choice for the evening soirée at the village bonfire.

After the birth of their daughter, Anastasia, Alexandra had been unwell frequently and she was not looking forward to venturing out on a cold evening. Meanwhile the vol-au-vent decision would not go away.

Her husband, Rupert, was in the General Stores. ‘Half a dozen rockets, please, Prudence, and a few sweets for the young lads helping with the guy.’ He put a ten-shilling note on the counter.

Prudence produced a bumper box of fireworks and two bags of sweets. ‘There we are, Captain. That should keep them happy – liquorice torpedoes and mint imperials.’

He held up one of the rockets. ‘We need to get the bonfire off with a good show, don’t you think?’

‘Of course, Captain.’

Next to him Vera Evans had arrived and was studying the headlines of the newspapers on the rack next to the counter.

‘Look at that,’ said Rupert, ‘the population of Britain has gone up to fifty million.’

‘A huge number,’ said Vera. ‘Hard to imagine.’

‘We’ll be too full if they let all these Jamaicans in,’ said Rupert a little too forcefully.

Vera frowned. ‘I’m sure they’re fine, hard-working people,’ she said.

‘Ah well, er … yes, Miss Evans, I’m sure they are … as long as they have jobs and aren’t a burden.’

‘And they must feel the cold terribly,’ added Prudence for good measure.

Tom Feather was on his way to the Pharmacy. He had spent the last hour working in the bonfire field with local farmhand Derek ‘Deke’ Ramsbottom.

Deke had arrived on his tractor, towing a trailer piled with old pieces of timber collected from various outbuildings in the village. There was enough for a huge bonfire and a few of the menfolk had gathered for this annual task. Deke had taken on the role of lead bonfire builder and, in his Stetson hat, leather waistcoat and sheriff’s badge, he looked the part.

It was well known that the film star John Wayne was Deke’s hero. He had been to the cinema twice recently, once to see Rio Grande, in which his favourite cowboy appeared alongside the smouldering Maureen O’Hara, and then to watch She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, filmed in glorious Technicolor. Deke tried hard to imitate John Wayne’s famous walk, but only succeeded in looking as though he had an acute case of piles. Even so, the hard-working cowboy was giving his all to the cause of the village bonfire.

Sadly, Tom was struggling with a sore throat, hence his visit to the Pharmacy.