Memories
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Lancaster Agricultural Show
He took great interest in the Lancaster Agricultural Show, an annual local show held in August on the Giant Axe field in Lancaster. Maurice says: "He was chairman of the show for many years, and I seem to remember that he was also president for a few years. His aim was to promote ‘the many facets of farming to the general public’, including an annual social gathering for the farming community. Another central meeting point for farmers was the local Auction Mart, and it’s nearest pub. These social meeting points for the farming community are very important since farming can be a lonely life and it was very important that a farmer should keep up to date with personal knowledge of the markets and stock prices . With a farm you can never relax, because there are always jobs to be done." The show committee decided that they wanted a permanent site, and purchased a field at Cross Hill, half way between Lancaster and Morecambe. The farmers, their farm workers and families helped to lay out the show and run the event, withthe big marquees being hired and erected for the event by contractors. |
Prize presentation at Lancaster’s Giant-Axe sport’s field.
Herbert Henry as Chairman of the Show (on the right) with the show President.
"Dad was on the ‘War Agricultural Committee’, monitoring the ploughed land on each of the farms in his district, as they received subsidies during the 1939/45 war."
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"In my later life I always blamed sheep dipping for dad and my brother contracting Parkinson’s disease, because there was a pit to stand in alongside the dipping trough, and in those days you never wore any breathing equipment, in consequence you got covered in sheep dip chemicals."
Tommy
The acquiring of a tractor, in 1940, heralded the removal of horses from the farm.
Maurice says:
"I still remember Tommy, a 24 year old horse, as a marvelous friendly horse, capable of doing any job. His one fault was that he caused a lot of damage to fences and gates, by wanting to have a good scratch. Quite probably it was more our fault, in not giving him a good grooming. He never had any shoes fitted, and he was OK on roads and fields.
"Tommy was fully familiar with the layout of the farm, and as long as the gates were open, he was quite capable of taking a cart home without a driver.
"There was one instance, in 1939, at the beginning of the war, the Lancaster Golf Club, now established on the Ashton Hall Park, had to have sheep grazing the grass, and dad was given permission to do so. In consequence we needed to fence off the woodland, so, with Tommy in the shafts of the 4 wheeled lorry, loaded with posts and netting, we set off to do the job.
"Obviously you have your transport parked alongside the job in hand, but one day engrossed in what we were doing, Tommy set off pulling the lorry, and went home. We were not very popular with the golfing fraternity, due to the trail which had been left by the lorry across the greens."
The acquiring of a tractor, in 1940, heralded the removal of horses from the farm.
Maurice says:
"I still remember Tommy, a 24 year old horse, as a marvelous friendly horse, capable of doing any job. His one fault was that he caused a lot of damage to fences and gates, by wanting to have a good scratch. Quite probably it was more our fault, in not giving him a good grooming. He never had any shoes fitted, and he was OK on roads and fields.
"Tommy was fully familiar with the layout of the farm, and as long as the gates were open, he was quite capable of taking a cart home without a driver.
"There was one instance, in 1939, at the beginning of the war, the Lancaster Golf Club, now established on the Ashton Hall Park, had to have sheep grazing the grass, and dad was given permission to do so. In consequence we needed to fence off the woodland, so, with Tommy in the shafts of the 4 wheeled lorry, loaded with posts and netting, we set off to do the job.
"Obviously you have your transport parked alongside the job in hand, but one day engrossed in what we were doing, Tommy set off pulling the lorry, and went home. We were not very popular with the golfing fraternity, due to the trail which had been left by the lorry across the greens."
Mum and Dad
"Dad was very even-tempered man, who never took any excesses and he was well respected in the community.
"He arose at 6 am each day and assisted with the milking, which commenced at 5 am.
"During his farming days he always did some gardening, providing fresh vegetables and flowers for the house, and on retirement he continued in the same manner, but never aspired to be in the same class as his dad who had been a keen exhibitor at local shows .
"Like dad, mother was dedicated to farm life, and with the assistance of a maid, looked after the house with all its implications, especially on the food side.
"When a pig was killed, mother was fully capable of making full use of every item. Father cured the bacon, and prepared the ham, nothing was wasted. Dad also did grading of pig carcasses for the Co-operative Butchery in Lancaster.
"Mother had no automatic washer, though she did later, she had a washing tub electrically driven with agitator and wringer."
"Dad was very even-tempered man, who never took any excesses and he was well respected in the community.
"He arose at 6 am each day and assisted with the milking, which commenced at 5 am.
"During his farming days he always did some gardening, providing fresh vegetables and flowers for the house, and on retirement he continued in the same manner, but never aspired to be in the same class as his dad who had been a keen exhibitor at local shows .
"Like dad, mother was dedicated to farm life, and with the assistance of a maid, looked after the house with all its implications, especially on the food side.
"When a pig was killed, mother was fully capable of making full use of every item. Father cured the bacon, and prepared the ham, nothing was wasted. Dad also did grading of pig carcasses for the Co-operative Butchery in Lancaster.
"Mother had no automatic washer, though she did later, she had a washing tub electrically driven with agitator and wringer."
"I remember that at the outbreak of the last war, in 1939, the Trimpell Works was built at Middleton, near Morecambe. It was a factory that was never mentioned, or discussed, as it was directly involved with the war effort.
The reason I mention it, is that I was involved with a horse (Tommy) and cart, removing excess soil, from digging a water pipe trench across Waterside land to feed Trimpell works. Also at that time, a 132 Kv overhead line was erected. In a project of this magnitude many other farmers were involved, and presumably, it was quite lucrative. I never heard dad discuss money matters, but I was only 15 years old at that time, so perhaps it is understandable."
The reason I mention it, is that I was involved with a horse (Tommy) and cart, removing excess soil, from digging a water pipe trench across Waterside land to feed Trimpell works. Also at that time, a 132 Kv overhead line was erected. In a project of this magnitude many other farmers were involved, and presumably, it was quite lucrative. I never heard dad discuss money matters, but I was only 15 years old at that time, so perhaps it is understandable."
Social Life
"Mother and dad’s social life was based on family parties, with the various relations living locally, when a good meal would be prepared by the hostess, followed by card games, Nap and Newmarket, all for pennies, but even so they were keen to be on the winning side.
"Aunt Doris, married to my godfather Maurice Hall, had various ploys to bring her good fortune, e.g. sitting on her handkerchief, or getting up and walking round her chair. All this was part of a very enjoyable social evening.
"In addition mum and dad usually had one or two weeks holiday, on their own, or with relatives. In mum and dad’s memorabilia there is photo of them with relatives at Land’s End. They also enjoyed holidays together in Europe. We children were not included in these holidays away from home, however we had many days out, at Morecambe and Blackpool on the sands, during our school holidays. We had many picnics on the banks of the river Lune on the marsh land adjacent to the farm."
"Mother and dad’s social life was based on family parties, with the various relations living locally, when a good meal would be prepared by the hostess, followed by card games, Nap and Newmarket, all for pennies, but even so they were keen to be on the winning side.
"Aunt Doris, married to my godfather Maurice Hall, had various ploys to bring her good fortune, e.g. sitting on her handkerchief, or getting up and walking round her chair. All this was part of a very enjoyable social evening.
"In addition mum and dad usually had one or two weeks holiday, on their own, or with relatives. In mum and dad’s memorabilia there is photo of them with relatives at Land’s End. They also enjoyed holidays together in Europe. We children were not included in these holidays away from home, however we had many days out, at Morecambe and Blackpool on the sands, during our school holidays. We had many picnics on the banks of the river Lune on the marsh land adjacent to the farm."
By the Lune
"In the field next to Ashton Hall Park there was an underpass, below the railway line, to allow the animals access to the marsh for grazing. In that field there was a watering trough, fed from a spring and another trough in Ashton Hall Park . During my youth, I spent many happy days camping in a very small field close by this field with the natural water spring.
"In this small field there was a fisherman's hut where he lived in the salmon fishing season. His method of catching the salmon was 'having' where he stood in the incoming tide with his net . His rent for the hut was one fish a year; but I believe that their were many years when fishing was so called 'bad', so no fish . Fisherman's tales ??
"In the farm cropping programme, the other fields adjacent to the marsh had no water, and so were of no use for cattle grazing, but arable crops were grown on them on a 3 year rotation cycle."
"In the field next to Ashton Hall Park there was an underpass, below the railway line, to allow the animals access to the marsh for grazing. In that field there was a watering trough, fed from a spring and another trough in Ashton Hall Park . During my youth, I spent many happy days camping in a very small field close by this field with the natural water spring.
"In this small field there was a fisherman's hut where he lived in the salmon fishing season. His method of catching the salmon was 'having' where he stood in the incoming tide with his net . His rent for the hut was one fish a year; but I believe that their were many years when fishing was so called 'bad', so no fish . Fisherman's tales ??
"In the farm cropping programme, the other fields adjacent to the marsh had no water, and so were of no use for cattle grazing, but arable crops were grown on them on a 3 year rotation cycle."
