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Carnival Memories of the Keystone Kops

Friday, 5 November 2021 06:00

By Graham & Rodney Warmsley

Pictures courtesy of Graham & Rodney Warmsley

The Keystone Kops was a carnival entry formed by the Falcon pub in Shanklin in 1973. They became a regular feature of nearly every Island carnival from 1973 to the 2000s.

The New Carnival Company talked to Graham and Rodney Warmsley about their involvement with the troupe over decades and about some of the mischief and mayhem that they caused! It was Bernie Horn’s idea, and he was the mainstay. He got an old Gas van and converted it into a Black Maria, and it started from there.

There were convicts locked up inside the back of the van and the Kops walking beside. Graham Walmsley used to drive the van. He explained the way he used to do it. As soon as he sounded the klaxon, the convicts would jump out. There would be a hell of a racket behind the van, shouting and screaming “The convicts are out!”. He would sit there for a few minutes and when the Kops were getting the convicts close to the van he’d drive off. So here the convicts would go again. The convicts sometimes used to pinch the van as well. And kidnap people out of the crowd.


Graham (right) & Rodney Warmsley 

‘We used to get kids sometimes that would think we were real. I’d wave at somebody and then point, so the next minute they would grab this person out the crowd, chuck him in the van …we’d have to keep going along the street whatever and so the parent would sometimes arrange for somebody else to be at the other end …and make sure we knew who to give the kid back to. You just couldn’t do it nowadays!’

As well as providing so much fun for everyone at carnival the Kops were also a registered charity that raised many thousands of pounds over the years, mainly for children’s charities. In 1992 Rodney took over as Chairman and Graham had the privilege of driving the van which when not involved in carnival antics was kept on the Walmsley’s drive in Shanklin.

Island Carnival Memories brought to you by the New Carnival Company

Island Carnival Memories is an Oral History project, capturing people’s stories of carnival in years gone by. If you would like to contribute your own memories, visit Island Carnival Memories Facebook page. Island Carnival Memories is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. www.thenewcarnivalcompany.com

 

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