Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1205/162
  • Title
    Male. Farmer. b. 03.11.1924 SIDE A (00 mins)Born in Cople of a family that had farmed in the Marston Vale area since 1690. Moved to Bourne End Farm, Wootton, in 1938. Left Bedford Modern School when war broke out in September 1939. Family had owned Chequers pub on Millbrook Hill and also the bell pub, Marston Moretaine, sited where the present old folks' nursing home (previously the village school) is. Great-grandfather built Rock Villa, Brogborough Hill. (05 mins)Clay pit behind house, marks an early local brick works. Grandfather sold the brickmaking business to Charles Franklin. Conducted grain trade with London. Then concentrated on farming. Interviewee's father was last of 11 children. Grandfather set up set up sons and daughters in rented farms in area. One of these, J.R. Cook farmed at Wootton Pillinge (where present-day village of Stewartby is situated). (10 mins)As a child, spent some time living at his uncle's in Wootton Pillinge. Had younger brother. Two kiln chimneys, Kimberley and Klondike, at Wootton Pilling and a couple of houses owned by Malcolm Stewart, prior to London Brick Company being created. Also two farm-workers cottages for Pillinge Farm. Uncle sold the farm and moved to Houghton Conquest. Foot and mouth disease caused all the cattle (between 60 & 100?) to be destroyed at Wootton Pillinge around 1932. (15 mins)Father hired steam engine to power threshing in 1934. By 1936 they had bought their own threshing tackle. More valuable cows were at How End, Houghton Conquest. Wide-spread outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Bedfordshire. (20 mins)In his grandfather's day, they didn't slaughter cows with foot and mouth disease (around 1870). Two-thirds would survive, as skeletons. Law brought in banning meat on the bone from Argentina. Outbreaks became less frequent. Schooling, private and then in local authority schools. (25 mins)In 1935 was bussed to new secondary school in Elstow. Suffered pneumonia. Great aunt offered to pay for his to attend Bedford Modern School (600 boys; mixed day- and boarding pupils). (30 mins)Shared house with paying guests: Manager of Igranic Electric Company. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Low state of farming in 1930s. Family now owns 100 acres in two blocks. No long in position of tenants under a land agent, but Government bureaucracy has partly replaced this. Comparison of land prices: £3 an acre in 1930s and £2300 an acre in 2002. Father refused to buy fertiliser. (05 mins)Tractors increased in power from 20 horsepower in his childhood to 180 horsepower turbo machines in 2002. Father didn't buy any land until 1946 because he didn't want to be in debt. (10 mins)Married in 1950. Brother married in 1955. Parents sold their Home Farm to him in 1964. Bought neighbouring Meadow Farm in Kempston. (15 mins)Mother's family, from Uttoxeter and Dunstable. (20 mins)Her family were in the drapery business. Their children were each sent to learn a trade, as a fallback to farming. (25 mins)Mother was a VAD nurse in Sheffield during First World War. She was a natural organiser. Arranged village Jubilee (1935) and Coronation (1953) celebrations. Had one or two women in the house to help her. Died aged 76 in 1969. Had a Women's Land Army girl, Mary Day (from Hertfordshire), living in during Second World War (1939-45). (30 mins)She trained at Shuttleworth Hall, Old Warden. Worked with the family's dairy herd (120 cattle). He and his wife took over in June 1950, on their return from honeymoon in the Lake District. Mother moved to Kempston. (32 mins)End of Side B.CONTINUED ON CS162C2 SIDE A (00 mins)Left school (Bedford Modern School) the day war broke out on 3 September 1939. Was ploughing using a tractor on his father's rented farm which was very isolated, surrounded by two other farms. Farms had lost labourers to better-paid work with London Brick. Harsh financial situation for most farmers including his father. (05 mins)Long road to farm was tarmacced just before the war. Took him ¾ hr to cycle up-hill. Only 50 out of 313 acres were arable. The rest was very poor pasture. Only 20 milking cows (later built up to 70). Very poor harvest. Father refused to buy fertiliser because of the cost. (10 mins)Farmw as surveyed in 1942 by the War Ag., with a view to ploughing it up for war-time production. Father told that he had to plough up 120 acres out of 313 acres. Interviewee had been in Home Guard, as a young man, under Colonel Granville in Wootton from its formation. Helped dig machine gun posts. Paraded on Wednesday evenings and on Sunday. Rifle range practice at various parts of the county including what is now the bottom of Stewartby Lake. (15 mins)His family lost 17 members during the First World War. He was never officially called up as his work on the farm made him exempt. Cranfield Aerodrome auxiliary landing grounds in the area during the war. (20 mins)5 bombs dropped on Bourne End Farm and Meadow Farm during Second World War. One large hole enabled them to bury a horse. 4 evacuees. Boys aged around 12, were billeted with his parents, from Neasden in London. They only stayed a week but wet the bed each night through fear. A Land Girl came to live in on the farm and, most morning, about 6 more were delivered by van from either Cople or Elstow hostels. (25 mins)Some Land Girls were excellent, some had no idea and some didn't want to know. The arable area was gradually built up, with 100 acres ploughed. Allocated another tractor by War. Ag. High wheat-crop yields. First use of super phosphate achieved good results. (30 mins)More about fertiliser application. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Farm had a 60 ft. well and the cottages a 12 ft. deep well. Cattle supplied with water from a moat. Ran out of water in 1944. Water main laid from Wood End Kempston up to farm entrance in 1946. (05 mins)Young Farmers' Club set up, in Bedford, in September 1946. (10 mins) Attended dancing classes in St. Peter's Hall, Bedford. Started courting in 1948 and married in June 1950. Parents moved out of Bourn End Farm to enable newly-married couple to have it to themselves. (15 mins)Hard winter of 1947. Roads 4 ft. deep in snow. No one could get through to the farm for two weeks. 8 ft. snow drifts. Ran out of food for the cows and fed them chicken pellets. (20 mins)Severe flooding after snows melted. Responded to and advertisement by Canadian National Railways for young farmers age limit 32 years. Decided to fly to Canada and try his luck with his family of 3 children. (25 mins)Happened to sit next to the Head of Immigration for Ontario. Offered a farm outside Ottawa in April. (30 mins)Family returned to England and he tried out work on a number of farms. (32 mins)End of Side B Continued on ST162C3 SIDE A (00 mins)Decided not to stay in Canada. Had a hard time there, despite making some friends. Moved to Home Farm in spring 1957. (05 mins)Reflections on losing a child. Both he and his wife, and each of their four surviving children have had one of their children die. Eldest son is still farming. Farm now entirely arable. Previously had 120 head of cows until 1954. (10 mins)Tried pig farming but swine fever destroyed them. Switched to growing potatoes. Moved to Tudor Farm, Edgecote. (15 mins)Now sheep farming as well as arable. Very difficult to make any money on present-day farms, despite working like a slave. (20 mins)Thinks farming will eventually have a future in this country. As the third-world populations grow, they will need to keep a higher proportion of their food crops for themselves, leaving a role for British agriculture. 2000 acre farms will be viable. (23 mins)End of Side A.END OF INTERVIEW Original Interview145 mins
  • Date free text
    2 october 2002
  • Production date
    From: 1920 To: 2002
  • Reference
  • Level of description
    item
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