Wally (anonymous)
In 1974 a group of new age travellers were encamped near Stone Henge, to help hinder the process of eviction by the landowners they all gave their name as Wally of Wessex, "Wally being a conveniently anonymous umbrella for vulnerable individuals".[1]
The name is said to be inspired either someone calling for a lost dog at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, or someone calling a lost sound engineer at the first Glastonbury Festival. The cry was picked up by others and lead to random shout of "Wally" being heard at rock concerts all over Britain.[2][3]
See also
References
Further reading
- Wally (from Weely), Pseudo Dictionary, 17 July 2006. An alternative theory that the cry of Wally started at the Weeley Festival.
- The Weeley Festival. Clacton On Sea. Essex. August 27-29 1971, The Archive: a history of UK rock festivals, Last update Oct 2007. Refutation that the cry of Wally started at Weeley, and that it started the year before (1970) at the Isle of Wight Festival.
- Inside Out Extra: WEELEY - LET IT ROCK!, BBC, Wednesday April 21, 2004. More on the origins of Wally debate.
- Isle of Wight Festival - History, BCC Hampshire, Retrieved 2009-01-26.