Z1205/180

Male. Farm worker. Lifelong Marston Moretaine resident. Gun dog trainer and judge. b. 13.10.1933 SIDE A (00 mins)Born and resided all his life in Marston Moretaine. Mother was a blacksmith's daughter from Woburn Sands. Dad's family came from Marston. Two-up, two-down cottage. Gleaning corn for chickens, in grandparent's day, after harvesting. Paternal grandparents lived opposite The Bell and kept four pigs as well as chickens. Had two sisters. They slept in the back bedroom, his parents in the front and he slept at his grandparents across the road. (05 mins)Paternal grandfather had been a farm worker, skilled with a scythe (two-handed blade for cutting weeds, etc). Was also a sexton, digging graves at the local church. Villagers had allotments for vegetable gardening - either 20- or 40- pole lengths. (10 mins)Father worked in a local brickworks, then moved to help build the Ordnance Factory at Elstow at beginning of Second World War (c.1939-40). He then went on to security work there until he retired. In the First World War he earned the Military Medal. Mother's side of the family was very musical. (15 mins)Mischievous boyhood. Used to go birds nesting, rabbitting, collecting moorhens' eggs for eating. On Sundays, had to attend Sunday School and Morning Prayers in the mornings, Sunday School again in the afternoon and back again at night. Later on he was in the church choir and also helped ring the bells. Sunday School outings to either Wicksteed Park or Clacton. (20 mins)Wartime disruption of schooling. Evacuees. Severe snow in Winter 1947. Used to catch rabbits and sell for half a crown (12 ½ p). (25 mins)Used to work on Willens Farm, during harvest time and used to blow the bellows in the blacksmith's shop. Always loved farm work, from the age of 8. Left school at 15 (one of the first to have to go on to 15 under raising of the school-leaving age) and worked at Wood End Farm for two years before it was sold off and he transferred to Moat Farm. Attracted by working with farm animals. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)200 sheep and 200 head of cattle to look after. Used to shear the sheep and slaughter them in the farm's own slaughterhouse. The farmhouse is now Moretayne Manor (restaurant). Used to train sheepdogs. Lambing in January/ February. (05 mins)Worked with Border Collies. Belonged to International Sheep Dog Society. (10 mins)Ploughing. His working life has spanned horses to space travel. Computerised farming, with a combined harvester monitoring the yield on all the field and in a particular part of the field; muck spreaders know how much muck to spread on particular areas of ground. All machines are linked by space satellites to each other and headquarters. Enormous changes from the days of manual spreading with muck fork. Effect of myxomatosis on rabbit population in late 1950s. (15 mins)Wartime reliance on rabbits for food. Had three terriers for rabitting and ratting. Joined Chiltern Gun Dog Society and six other societies. Takes part in competitions and field trials with working gun dogs. (20 mins)Now teaches and judges for Game societies. Methods of training working dogs. (25 mins)Has ten dogs now. Takes between 2 and 4 to shoots. (30 mins)Shoot lasts from about 9am to 3 pm. Pickers then look for any wounded birds until 4pm. Beaters used spaniels to flush out the birds during the shoot. (32 mins)End of Side B. CONTINUED ON CS180C2 SIDE A (00 mins)Gun dog trialling competitions and breeding. (05 mins)Stud money and dog breeding as an occupation. Working dogs in general. The debate about shooting and fishing and anti-blood sports. (10 mins)Rearing birds for shooting. Large-scale (1000-bird) commercial 'shoots'. (15 mins)Big shoots at local estates. Having a dog. (20 mins)Having open views from his house across the countryside. Fearing encroaching housing development. Emissions from brickworks chimneys in the past and being able to tell when it was going to rain. Social problems leading to more housing demand. (25 mins)Adapting his house over time. Hoping to enjoy continued health and a long life. (28 mins)End of Side A.END OF INTERVIEW Original interview 90 mins

9 December 2002

From: 1930 To: 2002

item

dogs, farm worker, gleaning, chickens, pigs, sexton, allotments, brick worker, World War Two, World War One, birds, eggs, Sunday Schools, Methodist chapels, evacuees, rabbits, child labour, blacksmith, Marston Moretaine Wood End Farm, sheep, cattle, slaughterhouses, ploughing, computers, animal cruelty, shooting, fishing, pollution, MARSTON MORETAINE, WOBURN SANDS