Wally is a

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...

expression referring to a "silly or inept person","wally"
Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 6 September 2013. which later developed into an umbrella term for "vulnerable individuals". It is thought to have originated at a pop festival in the late 1960s or early 1970s; many sources suggest the

1970 Isle of Wight Festival The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the isla ...

. On hearing the name "Wally" being announced many times over a

loudspeaker A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...

, the crowd took it up as a chant, and random shouts of "Wally" were subsequently heard at rock concerts all over Britain. It was still being called out at the 1979 Led Zeppelin

Knebworth Concerts The Knebworth Festival is a recurring open-air rock and pop concert held on the grounds of the Knebworth House in Knebworth, England. The festival first occurred in July 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers and other arti ...

. In 1974 a group of new age travellers were encamped near Stonehenge, and to help hinder the process of eviction by the landowners, all gave their name as Wally of Wessex, "Wally being a conveniently anonymous umbrella for vulnerable individuals".

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

, 2nd edition. ''wally, ''n.²'' citing "1974 Times 8 Aug. 2/4"''

References

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 1971The 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
BBC Hampshire, Retrieved 2009-01-26. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wally (Anonymous) Collective pseudonyms

See also

References

Further reading