Z1205/226

Male. Former market gardener. Now a Crematorium Worker. b. 31.10.1945 SIDE A (00 mins)Born in Bexhill in Sussex. Father came from Warwickshire and his Mother from Haringay in north London. Mother joined the Women's Land Army at the beginning of the Second World War (1939) and met her husband-to-be, who was a herdsman on the cattle farm she was sent to. Has an older brother. After marriage, parents moved to Colchester and then Wokingham areas. Remembers grandmothers but grandfathers died young. Father's family were industrialists in Birmingham but he had an accident and illness that resulted in him attending an agricultural college rather than join family business. (05 mins)Moved to Cople when interviewee was 8 years' old in 1953. Father farmed a 6-acre Land Settlement Association holding at Wyboston for 3 years. Most smallholdings were of 3 acres of land, pig sties and 3 greenhouses. Small houses attached to land. One man died and his Father was able to take over a second 3 acres. Grew lettuce, cabbage, beetroot, sprouts, potatoes and kept pigs and chickens. Cucumber house and two tomato houses. All produce had to be sold through the Association's co-operative but some meat did find its way into the black market during rationing. When at school near Wokingham, remembers wearing "dunces" cap when he couldn't answer questions. (10 mins)Moved to 30 acres smallholding in Cople. Big farm house. Octagon Farm. 150-acre farm divided into 5 smallholdings. Sub-let by Beds. County Council. Market gardening and pigs. Father's heart wasn't in market gardening and he paid others to do the field work. Kept both battery and deep-litter hens for egg production. 50 or 60 breeding pig sows. (15 mins)Reared 100 young pigs in a barn. 7-day a week work, looking after livestock. Mother was active in the fields. Started a vegetable delivery "round". Brother had serious back injury and more work fell to the interviewee. When refused more pay for this, he left the family firm, aged 20. (20 mins)Got married. Went out doing piecework on market gardens. Experienced in growing vegetables from seed, especially brussel sprouts and cabbages. Growth in Cople over the years. Market gardening the main industry. Light soil to work. (25 mins)Further up the hill, it was heavy soil, more difficult to work but good for sprouts because it retains moisture. As a result of poor returns, market gardening has moved to Lincolnshire and the Fens. Bedfordshire Growers remains at Biggleswade but few small gardeners left in the county. Hired land and began with vegetable and employing workers. Ended up with 4 full-time and 5 part-time seasonal workers. Took on 50 acres of intensive farming; 3 crops a year. Built up a good name in London for brussel sprouts. (30 mins)Heyday - early to mid-1980s. Finished in 1900. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00mins)Learned about the use of fertilizers through trial and error and advice through sales representatives of fertilizing firms. Began to mechanise by hiring, then buying a tractor. In the end had 3 tractors, a pick-up truck, pumps for irrigating and all the equipment needed for market gardening. Move in large market gardens from hand picking to machine picking. High wages earned as a young man hand picking on piecework. (05 mins)Long-term back problems through field work. Effects of large supermarkets on the profits and decline of small market gardens. Producers got complacent and failed to discover what housewives really wanted and to market their produce effectively to combat foreign competition. Fewer returns on investment. Deep regret when he had to end his business. Diseases were the final straw. Made staff redundant. Sold machinery. Cancelled leases. (15 mins)Disappearance of farming from Cople. More housing. High house prices prohibitive for young people in the village. He is Chairman of the Cople Village Trust, which looks after the village hall and playing field. New people in the village don't join in village life. Sad to see community life disappear. Individuals and families lead insular lives. Got himself a job at the old Foster Hill Road Crematorium, Bedford. (25 mins)New crematorium in Bedford infinitely better than old one. Range of duties at crematorium. Satisfactions and downsides of work as Bereavement Carer. Plans for retirement. (30 mins)World travel in holidays since leaving market gardening. (32mins)End of Side B ORIGINAL INTERVIEW 60 minis.

14 June 2003

From: 1940 To: 2003

item

cremation, market gardener, Women's Land Army, cattle, agricultural land, rationing, World War Two, Cople Octagon Farm, Bedfordshire County Council, pigs, vegetables, fertilisers, tractors, wages/conditions, , funerals, Bexhill, Haringey London Borough, Warwickshire, Birmingham, COPLE, Wyboston, Wokingham, BIGGLESWADE, Bedford Foster Hill Road