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| Stone Formation Archive 1974 |
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 Stone Formations news, views, gallery and archive brought to you by Weird Wiltshire Introduction Latest News News Archive Stonehenge Stonehenge Project Stonehenge 360 Avebury Saviours Stones Village Solstice Wayland Smithy Long Barrow Woodhenge Gallery Summer Solstice Gallery 2002 Summer Solstice Gallery 2004 Postcards Wallpaper Links  |
First published on August 8, 1974 THE Wiltshire Wallies have joined the list of Britain's tourists attractions. Every day coachloads of Americans turn up to gaze in wonder at Stonehenge, and others stare in bewilderment at the Wallies. The Wallies have set up camp 100 yards from the historic stones on Salisbury Plan. A nucleus of half-a-dozen hippies and three dogs, their numbers are periodically swelled by the odd hitch-hiker who passes by and stops for the night. At the camp are Wally, Wally, Wally and Wally. Anybody who joins automatically becomes Wally, including a bemused tourist who stopped by today. "Hi-ya, Wally," he was greeted. The man turned and muttered something to his wife and quickly drove away. "Hey, aren't they cute?" said an American woman, in between whirrs of her camera. "Are they your Druid people?" Druids the Wallies are not. And while the Department of the Environment puts up with the Druid ceremony every midsummer's day it is definitely not so keen on the Wallies. It issued a writ, summonsing the Wallies to explain why they should not be ordered away from their present address, Foght Wally care of God, Jesus and Buddha, Garden of Allah, Stonehenge Monument Salisbury Plain. The Wallies dutifully appeared in the High Court and Mr Justice Stocker adjourned the hearing until next Monday, so they could be legally represented. Back at the Foght (pronounced Fort), the Wallies were unconcerned. Wally Chris, who startled everybody by capering around the plain in a loincloth, said: "I don't know if we will bother to turn up on Monday. We are here because God said so. "It is up to God to judge us, not the courts." What do the Wallies stand for? "Peace, man," replied 20-year-old Wally Chris. "This is going to get us out of the Third World War." The flag of the Union Wally fluttered over the camp while the Wallies squatted by a hole in the ground which they use as an oven. In between bouts of Yoga, Wally Chris said the group intended to stay on the land no matter what. "Once we have got this land we are going to move into the farmer's land next door and take that over," he added. The Wallies have chosen the land near Stonehenge because it has a mystical significance. "We are searching for God and Peace," said Wally Chris. The Wallies said their name came from a dog which was running around at the 1971 Isle of Wight pop festival. "Everyone was calling it Wally so we took the name," they explained, apparently astonished that anybody should bother to ask. Back to 1974 index |
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