Old farming men.

[JWL]

@Cab-over Pete my old man used to be what we'd recognise now as a self-employed worker doing jobs wherever. I can remember going with dad with either the Thames Trader or the newer Ford D Series tipper to the sewage farms up by Birmingham with a Drott in the back. The old chap would dig out the sewage beds, load them into the lorries which when taken back to Myton Farm would be used on the wheat ground. He also was responsible for grading the bank that goes up to the Council Offices in Warwick as you drove up from Saltisford where the multi storey carpark is now. I can remember him carting trees for the chap that had the sawmill set up on Johns drive. It was one of the first big mobile band saws around in its day, he bought it to deal with all the Elms that were being felled due to the Dutch Elm Desease.
Years later I ended up living and working at Leafields which was the farm for the Castle Park.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I’ll bet the sewage farms were at Minworth. @Gadget farms near there and has big fields with a patchwork of soil colours still benefiting from the sewage sludge and also some flat fields with old flood channels and sluice gates where the sewage was allowed to cover the flat land occasionally.

I was in the multi-storey car park at Saltisford only the other day!

The sawmill could have been run by Mr Croasdale. I think he still runs timber around here with an old but very well kept Volvo F88 truck. They also run a cafe in the lay-by on the A429 near Barford.

I’ve spread lime at Leafields Farm. The Mahon family from near Stratford used to farm it but a few years ago the Hutsby family took it on. Last time I was there I spread all the grass that leads round to Warwick Castle. There is a really steep bit of ground near Lord Brooke’s Clump and the BigA took a slide from top to bottom. I was glad to get to the bottom and rest!!

I love spreading at Warwick Park. The view from the top of Temple Hill over the castle is lovely. Going over the Avon bridge near Leafields towards Barford Sheds (now all houses) is a nervous experience on the Big A!

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Here’s the F88. As far as I know still working.

 

[JWL]

It was the Mahons I worked for, 8 years I was with them. Is it the Hutsby's from Ettington way that have Leafields now? Lord Brooks Clump was nothing compared to Hollycombes, straight over the bridge and straight on not going up the track in the wood towards the Shooting Lodge. Did you ever notice the wartime pillbox by the side of the bridge? If you want a clenching feeling then you should have had a go at taking a New Holland 8080 from the 80's era over the bridge, the drive wheels were on the concrete parapets and the steering axle was still on the road surface. Going up the bridge it's very rare that all you can see is sky out of a combine windscreen, no ground at all!
The flooding could be impressive, pretty much every blade of grass would be underwater and it would be lapping at the gates into the shed we used as a lambing shed behind the single storey brick building. I used to live in the first cottage down the drive before the yard, I see on Google Earth that it's been greatly renovated and an extension added.
It's dawned on me now after these recollections where I knew that lorry from after that thread that was on here earlier this year, I used to see it quite a lot a few years later running in and out of the sawmill at Armscote on the Shipston Road from Stratford.
Back in the 80's when we were having a few decent frosts I've ridden a bike across Temple Pool yet the old boy, Alan Rawe could remember when they drove a tractor across it in the 60's!

 

[Cab-over Pete]

My cousin worked for Mahons for a while, Ed Cookes, you may remember him.

Hollycombe is steeper but only ever been in there when cultivated so you could ge a bit of traction!

Your house has been done up, yes. Really nice place.

I’ve seen the meadows about half flooded but never near the sheds, that would be some sight! I think the shepherd is called Bob and he worked for Mahons too, staying on after Hutsby’s took over.

Anyway, I suppose we are hijacking a bit, apologies to the op.

Great thread!!

 

[JWL]

All those names are after my time, that makes me feel really old now!

 

[Cab-over Pete]

As said before on this thread some of the farming women were hard working characters too.

My Gran worked on their farm at Hampton in Arden after Grandad Harry died. I only just remember him. I well remember being amazed at grans tractor driving skills. She could drive their Leyland tractor along the track with no hands!! Of course, in later life I found that the steering on Leyland tractors was so light they would follow ruts a treat!

My Nan also worked on the farm after Grandad Sam died. I don’t remember him at all. Nan kept pigs and loved them. She also sold dozens of Christmas birds, turkeys, goose, capons, ducks, the lot. She also made hundreds of Christmas crackers at the dining room table. She would buy all the snaps, gifts, hats etc and sit making hundreds of them.

I remember when driving around with Dad on the milk tanker that many women worked on farms. Mostly caring for calves and other stock but they could certainly turn their hand to everything.

Gran was a Land girl at Shuckburgh near Napton in South Warwickshire. She told me that, whilst suffering from a cold, the farmer convinced her that a few whiskies would help. She was fine whilst sat down but it hit her when she got up. She remembers cycling very unsteady down the lane but doesn’t remember the rest of the journey, including getting over the main road and canal. Someone later told her she went flying top speed straight across the main road, narrowly missing traffic travelling both ways across her path!

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Another amazing chap just came to mind. A customer of mine at Harbury.

He clearly remembers the outbreak of WW2 because he was a small boy, riding with his Dad on the foot plate of the tractor whilst ploughing. His Dad saw his uncle walking across the field and him saying “This will be bad news”. Sure enough, uncle had heard the declaration of war on the wireless and had walked to tell his Dad.

He said his Dad often walked up the hill at night and could see that Coventry was well alight more than once which upset his Dad. After big air raids he and his siblings would go and collect spent anti aircraft shells from off The Fosse Way.

He was walking along the drive one day with his sister to meet an aunt off the bus which was to drop her at the end of the farm drive. They saw the bus approaching and, at that moment, a German plane swooped over and took potshots at the bus, which carried on and returned much later with the aunt, nobody was hurt.

Only a few years ago the chestnut tree at the end of the drive had to be cut down and they found several cartridge shells embedded in the tree.

 

[Farma Parma]

My mother has a photo somewhere of my father sitting on top of a telegraph pole with his feet on the snow!

heard same tales here about snow casting as they called it. right above the hedges.
teams of men would come n do all of this.
Hanging there jackets off the telephone wires.
I dont think the poles were as long them days mind.
Never seen snow half way up a hedge never mind over it.

 

[Pilatus]

Greythunderclodys many thanks for starting this thread ,which has prompted so many of you to tell us such interesting factual tales from eras gone forever.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Yes, brilliant thread.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

View attachment 614800

Here’s the F88. As far as I know still working.

That's Bob Carmichael's Volvo, he lives in Barford

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Aahhh yes!!

When I put Mr Croasdale I thought it didn’t quite sound right!!

He is the same chap who has the cafe though, isn’t he?

I’m not really good at old stories, I’ve got a bloody awful memory!

 

[Bruce Almighty]

Aahhh yes!!

When I put Mr Croasdale I thought it didn’t quite sound right!!

He is the same chap who has the cafe though, isn’t he?

I’m not really good at old stories, I’ve got a bloody awful memory!

I'm not aware of him owning the cafe in the lay-by outside Pete Upstone's old farm. But I have seen the picture of the Volvo on the back of the mobile caff

 

[Red Fred]

I just went up to feed our sows in the old barn and I remembered the sad story of the chap who rented it post war when he was storing his spuds in there. He and his mate were still fairly young and started fooling about throwing spuds at each other just for a lark, but one hit him on the head and he died on the spot. Dad said he was a decent youngster with a young family, who was always hairing along the lanes at speed on his Allis.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I'm not aware of him owning the cafe in the lay-by outside Pete Upstone's old farm. But I have seen the picture of the Volvo on the back of the mobile caff

Oh right, probably got that completely wrong then!!

I told you I have a terrible memory. In fact, probably best if you just ignore most things I write!

 

[RushesToo]

That's the difference between ornamental muscle and working muscle.

Technique experience and confidence.

 

[JWL]

I'm not aware of him owning the cafe in the lay-by outside Pete Upstone's old farm. But I have seen the picture of the Volvo on the back of the mobile caff

There's a name from the past! I used to work with Ian, Pete's son when we worked at Bromson Hill Farm near Ashorne!
I was invited to Ians 21st which was a combined party with his sisters 18th and was held at Moreton Morrel in the hall. I had been trying my best to get off with a girl groom at the time and had convinced her to be my partner at this party. The night didn't start off too well as we were late leaving her house from where I was picking her up from, we somewhat had got distracted and had lost track of time, jumped in my motor and the damned thing wouldn't start so ended up driving hers. I hadn't realised that it was a formal sit down meal and we sort of burst into the room still a little dishevelled just as the sweet course was being served! Now that was a tadge embarrassing
That somewhat knocked that relationship on the head! Pete never let me forget that moment every time I saw him after that, tragic he was taken so early.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

There's a name from the past! I used to work with Ian, Pete's son when we worked at Bromson Hill Farm near Ashorne!
I was invited to Ians 21st which was a combined party with his sisters 18th and was held at Moreton Morrel in the hall. I had been trying my best to get off with a girl groom at the time and had convinced her to be my partner at this party. The night didn't start off too well as we were late leaving her house from where I was picking her up from, we somewhat had got distracted and had lost track of time, jumped in my motor and the damned thing wouldn't start so ended up driving hers. I hadn't realised that it was a formal sit down meal and we sort of burst into the room still a little dishevelled just as the sweet course was being served! Now that was a tadge embarrassing
That somewhat knocked that relationship on the head! Pete never let me forget that moment every time I saw him after that, tragic he was taken so early.

Pete wasn't too impressed by the kissograms either, good job it was before stripograms !

 

[Pilatus]

Technique experience and confidence.

I think that thinking can be applied to other mens muscles
Unfortunately I now somteimes need a blue tablet