"according to those taking part" - more vague gossip and rumours. Who are the "those taking part" cited, where does the information come from, etc.

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Incidentally, here's a picture (from my flickr photostream, and our family album) of a group of their neighbours in London celebrating the end of the Great War outside their decorated home - the reason I put it in here is because of the young man in Blackface Minstrel with the banjo. Except he looks more like a Pierrot. It's a strange picture in several ways - there's a melancholy about it. Appropriate enough.