BUTLINS BOGNOR 1974

TREVOR GREEN

A GREEN RED

In this series of FEATURED REDS we introduce TREVOR GREEN,
who worked at BUTLINS BOGNOR REGIS for the 1974 season.

REDCOAT TREV

BUTLINS BOGNOR 1974

Oi! little girl. Hop it!!
	Space-Hopping as a spectator sport!! I took winning quite seriously. Trev

Pete Massey compering, while Steve Elliott encourages a young 'Punter.' (Guests were known to staff as 'Punters' and not 'Campers' at Bognor).

Steve Elliott (above) was a frightening figure - probably the most physically powerful person I've ever met. I shared a room with him when Chief Red Alan Bowen went back to Australia. Brilliant 'Captain Blood,' he really frightened the kids when he jumped out from hiding to keep them on the chase. He used to take quite a battering when he finally allowed himself to get caught.

IT'S A COCK-UP

My main job was to organise the 'It's a Knockout.' Its main participants were me, Tim, and Pete (above), but everyone joined in.

As you can see we played to big crowds, and the show was real fun. (The only picture I've got of me with Gary Martin, who sent you our 1974 Redcoat Team photo.)

REALLY TYRED! Mike Kench (Dept. Asst. Ent.) watches arms folded from the sideline. He wasn't a fan of our antics, or of Timmy West. Six was the most people we ever got into the the inner-tube - at the SAME TIME! I would struggle to get into it on my own these days!!!

IT'S A WASHOUT

We actually choreographed and practised the water-throwing. We wanted stores to issue us with spare uniforms, because ours were getting ruined with the water, but they wouldn't! (Why didn't you wear T-shirts and shorts, or track-suits? A.J)
	Here's me - old bucket-head! At the first one we did I was nearly 'terminated' (the Bognor term for 'instant dismissal') after awarding a point to the first side to bring me an ice-cream.

Bognor 1974 Bognor Trev 12

If that is the husband of the lovely lady sitting on my knee, he's a very trusting man.

Incidentally, we (mostly our tech guy and DJ Sam Southall) ran a pirate radio station from staff lines, for a month, till we got caught. Paul played "Morning Has Broken" as our call sign. Sean Bruce cut his teeth Dee-Jaying the stuff that he later became famous for at the Manchester 'Hacienda.' I refused to believe that 'Manu Di Bango' was for real.

Bognor 1974 Bognor Trev 13

Here's Redcoat Paul Hannah, whose favourite pastime was
chatting up the entrants in the 'Miss Butlin' competition.

Below are Trevor's recollections of his Redcoat teammates:-

Hi A.J

My name is Trevor Green and I am an ex GD Redcoat. I was at Bognor in 1974 and stumbled on this site quite by accident. I entered 'Butlins Bognor 1974' into 'search' and up came Gaz Martin's page, and there I was!!! You now have the bookends because, in the photo, he is top left and I am top right.

The DJ (top row, 6th from the left) is Sean Bruce and his show was called Cousin Brucey's Disco Drama. He went on to be a big name at the Hacienda (Manchester). The 'Peter' is Peter Massey and he's standing in front of me. He went into the City, but quit to give acting a go much later in life. Fourth from the left, in the second row, is Paul Hannah who did the 'Jake the Peg' act. He was a mean trumpeter. To his right is a girl from Oldham, called Sue, who I used to have quite a crush on. (Never had the bottle to do anything about it though).

On the same row, ninth from the left, is Timmy West - crazy crazy man! Just the sort of bad influence some of us needed - posh, privileged, and loud. Peter, Tim, and me used to put on the 'It's a Knockout' which often ended with me being thrown fully clothed into the swimming pool. Missing from the photo is Elaine Kelsy from the East End, who was a mate .

Sitting between Andy 'Bloom' and compere Roger James is a girl I often think about. Can't remember her name, but she was from a very Anglicised Iranian family. I do hope they got out when the Ayatollah got in! She sent me a postcard from Persepolis once. Third from the right, next to Shaheen, is the Escapologist and Compere - Howard Peters. His act was truly remarkable. Don't know the real name of the guy on the far right at the bottom, but he was the DJ we knew as 'Scooter.'

I have loads of photos and all sorts of other stuff including a notice Bob Monkhouse took off a wall and gave to me at one of the midnight cabarets. I wish I had got him to sign it! It reads:

'Don't use Blue Material! Butlins don't want it; kids don't understand it; and audiences don't like it!'

So there we all were - working up to 20 hours a day, six days a week, for Ł14. WHY? Well, the job had its compensations: I got to fool about in front of regular punters, and flirt with the prettier ones. We made contacts, met and worked with some famous people, and had loads of fun.

Roger James, the compere, once summed it up perfectly:- "Life! - it's all downhill from here."

Trev G