Z1205/215

Male. Poacher, ferreter and gravedigger. b. 02.07.1943

7 March 2003

From: 1940 To: 2003

SIDE A (00 mins)Born in Bedford. Father from Oakley, mother from London. Father loved being out in the fields and shooting and fishing. (05 mins)The art of ferreting - hunting rabbits using a ferrets and nets over the rabbit holes. Rabbits provided cheap meals for families. Father kept ferrets, chickens, ducks. (10 mins)You could get 3 or 4 "dinners (rabbits) out of one set of holes. Rabbits killed by hitting with your hand at the back of their necks, or wringing their necks. If the ferret caught them in the hole, they would quickly killed them, but both of them had then to be dug out with a grafter (pointed shovel). Sunday morning job, going ferreting, in the winter only. The weekly sport. First went with his father when he was 7. Sister died of appendicitis when she was about 25. (15 mins)Breeding habits of rabbits. Myxomatosis introduced in 1950 to kill rabbits in large numbers, to reduce damage to farmer's crops. Horrific effects on the rabbits. Used to go round putting them out of their misery. (20 mins)Father was caught by the police, poaching rabbits in the Stagsden area, and had his nets confiscated. Making and using a catapult to hunt, as a boy. (30 mins)Poaching pheasants. The thrill of it. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Taught most of his sons to ferret but only one at a time. Nowadays they don't bother to go ferreting. You can tell if a dead rabbit has mixamatosis - white blotches on its liver. Farmers are relaxed now about people going rabbiting, with their permission, because it helps them get rid of pests. (05 mins)Pheasants are now less of a delicacy and sell for half what they once did, so there are fewer fears that hunters will poach them. When not rabitting or poaching pheasant, he would go rat hunting, just for the thrill of it, using his dog. Was sent to church in Bedford as a small boy but used to use the collection money to buy sweets and instead of attending church hung around until the service was finished. (10 mins)You made your own entertainment in those days, as a child, making bows and arrows and camps everywhere. Remembers the Teddy Boy period of youth violence when gangs of young men would fight each other with bike chains (late 1950s). (15 mins)Attended Silver Jubilee Secondary Modern. Thought he wanted to rear pigs because he had read about it. He was advised that he would be better off raising chickens. Tried it for a short time. (20 mins)Became an apprentice painter and decorator and did further education two nights and a weekly day release. He later became a sales representative for Blundell Permaglaze Paint. He lost the job when he was caught going fishing when he should have been working. He then went driving but eventually lost his driving licence through driving while under the influence of drink. Then took up tree felling, hedging and ditching and odd job work. Now, as a Carer, looking after his disabled wife, he does part-time grave-digging. (25 mins)Now he can drive again. He remembers the field where Priory Country Park is now situated in Bedford. Bryant and May planted poplars to be used in the production of matches but never used. (30 mins)Some of those trees, planted when he was 16 years old, are now, over 40 years later, 70 ft high. (32 mins)End of Side B. ORIGINAL INTERVIEW 60 mins.

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poaching, ferrets, shooting, fishing, rabbits, DEATH, appendicitis, animal cruelty, police, birds, farmer, rats, CHURCH, Silver Jubilee School, decorator, gravedigger, trees, OAKLEY, London, BEDFORD, Bedford Priory Marina