Farming Apprentiship at Wadham Farm Aged 18yrs
In response to an advert in 'Farmers Weekly' I was sent down from London to gain farming experience with Mr and Mrs Robb at Wadham Farm, before entering agricultural college at the age of 18 years. Locals took me in hand, teaching me to thatch, water divine, tickle trout and the whole cycle of the farming year. I was present during Lynmouth Floods of 1952. I have vivid memories of farming life and tricks played on me by locals! I travelled round Devon, playing rugger for Tiverton.
If this is of interest I can expand in more detail.
Adrian Marsden-Jones.
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RE: RE: Farming Apprentiship at Wadham Farm Aged 18yrs
I wonder whether this would be the same family as Christopher Robb?
We lived at Rose Ash Court between 1957 and 1960, and as I recall the Robbs were a Scottish family. This was welcome to my mother, as her mother was also Scottish.
Christopher came to mow our lawn for us, (and it was pretty huge and needed some mowing). We had a thing called a Rotoscythe, which we had found in a shed when we moved in. It had not initially worked, which could have been why it was abandoned, but we consulted a man whom I ever afterwards always thought of as Mr Rotoscythe, and it turned out the machine was hugely powerful and totally efficient at taming the wilderness which the property was at the time.
I remember Christopher stopping the machine, and with a grin, picking up something in front of it. I am a herpetology nut, and this was memorable to me as it was the first time I had ever seen a slow-worm, or even knew such an animal existed.
It was some time after that our dog Bosun was observed barking excitedly at something in the garden and then suddenly picking it up and shaking it. Unfortunately, it was a slow-worm and there was a whole nest. How many survived, I don't know. My mother dragged him off, as she didn't want him to harm the slow-worms, but she also had lively memories of when he had spotted an adder in Surrey and barked in the same way. Bosun made it to old age in the end.
Remind me to tell you about Christopher and our Norwegian guest Kiki.
Robert Hughes. (Weybridge)
Comment from Robert Hughes on Thursday, 26th August 2010.