The War Years

During the war new farm machinery was as rare as hens teeth, tractors coming over from America on the wartime 'Lease Lend' scheme. All available land had been ploughed up under Min-Ag regulations, so for most farmers it was beg, borrow or steal whatever was available from where-ever. There was a constant passing to and fro, for example Raymond would lend Norman English his disc harrows, Norman English would lend Raymond his seed drill. In the autumn slaked lime would be spread on the fields. The dust resulting from this operation would virtually hide the tractor and spreader from view, Henry appearing from the cloud looking like a MacDougalls flour grader. To describe it further, one could imagine them either going to a wedding or else having just fallen off the cake. They used to bury murderers in lime after hanging, so what it did for poor Henry's lungs one can only imagine.

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