My husband was at sea most of his life. He joined when he was fifteen; he was on a training ship. His father was in the navy, grandfather in the navy, he spent his whole life in the navy. My son he wants to put out to sea, he wants to go out there, because […]

The story recalls a childhood and working life based largely in the Breckland area around Thetford – Colveston and Mundford and the Stanford Battle Area. The contributor sent us an extract from his memoirs which he is writing for his grandchildren. His grandfather worked as a warrener in the battle area, his father at Lynford […]

In 1957 Doug’s family were living in a tied cottage on a farm in Lincolnshire. Agricultural labour was a reserved occupation and labourers did not have to go into the forces. Farm work was poorly paid and families were reliant on the farmer. Doug worked on the farm until the farmer made many of his […]

The contributor grew up on the Norfolk coast at Brancaster. After studying agriculture and horticulture, in the early 1960s he joined Sheringham and Overman's agricultural seed merchants firm in Fakenham as a bookkeeper.  He describes changes in the seed business which diversified from supplying local farmers, who themselves grew herbage seed, to include one of […]

  David and his twin brother John began working on the farm in 1936, at the age of 14 Early days Our first job, when we left school in 1936, was at the Murton Webbs in Knettishall carting sugarbeet. We biked eleven mile out, eleven mile home to Kilverstone. Poor old Mother couldn’t afford to […]

Life on the land My first job, in 1936, was at Murton Webb’s in Knettishall in Suffolk. We biked the way from Kilverstone to Knettishall which was eleven mile, and eleven mile home and we started work at six o’clock in the morning. We left home about five and started work at six. I worked […]

I came to Colney on October 11th 1936 when my family gave up Manor Farm Kirby, Bredon where I was born and we moved to Hall Farm Colney. The farms were farmed at Colney by my father Bailey and his brother Hugh trading as H & B Wilson and the reason that the family moved […]

I was born in 1933, the son of an agricultural worker. We were living at Thwaite St Mary near Ditchingham in the 40s. My father was a foreman on the farm. The farm was a cow farm mostly. What would be done would be done by hand. The milking was done by hand. There were […]