In fact whatever pyrotechnic trick was supposed to occur when the tank fired its gun failed to work and a bloke had to do it with a match, but the concept was sound (although I felt a flamethrower would have been better). The towering bonfire blazed, the guy made by a local primary school burned away to nothing in seconds, and as the flames died down we enjoyed a parade of tanks and other armoured vehicles - Challenger, Saladin, Warrior, menacing in the flickering light. As a finale, the last and mightiest, an Armoured Recovery Vehicle, rolled over a scrap car as if it wasn't there and crushed it flat.
The fireworks themselves were very lovely, starting unannounced and making everyone stop and stare up. It was freezing cold, which was as it should be; it feels wrong when November is mild and you can go out to a bonfire without your woolly hat and gloves. There were multicoloured explosions, crackles and fizzes of light, and, of course, that lovely, lovely smell. We watched the sky until the last pop and bang, then headed back to the car. On the way, we found a stall selling hot mulled cider.
