Duration: 39 minutes 34 seconds
Mary: This is the start of the interview. This interview is being conducted with Ruby Cooper on Monday 8th May 2017, in Shanklin, by Mary Blake. So Ruby, to start the interview, if you could start by telling me your full name?
Ruby: Ruby Cooper.
Mary: And where were you born?
Ruby: In the farm cottage at Chale Abbey Farm.
Mary: And can you tell me the names of your parents, and where and when they were born? So your father?
Ruby: Was Harold, my father was Harold Henry Harding and he was born at Freshwater.
Mary: Good, and your mother’s name?
Ruby: My mother was Alice Hatcher before she was born.
Mary: Before she was married?
Ruby: Before she was married I mean, yes sorry. She came to Niton to work in service, I think from the Mainland.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: I wouldn’t know that.
Mary: No, that’s fine, and did you have brothers and sisters?
Ruby: One brother.
Mary: And what was his name?
Ruby: Charles Albert Harding.
Mary: And when was he born? Was he older or younger?
Ruby: He was younger than me, no. He was younger than me, yes.
Mary: Right, and when were you married? Which year?
Ruby: I was not married until 1971.
Mary: Right, and what was the full name of your husband?
Ruby: As far as I know he was Roy Cooper.
Mary: And how many children do you have?
Ruby: Only one.
Mary: And what’s the name of your daughter?
Ruby: Dinah Holland now.
Mary: Yes, and she was born?
Ruby: She was born before I was married.
Mary: Right, in 1944?
Ruby: Yes.
Mary: Yes, right. So, would you like to tell me about your first home in Chale?
Ruby: My first home was in the farm cottage at Chale Abbey Farm but I was only two when I moved from there so I can’t remember much about that.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: So when I was two, my father moved to Chale Green to work on the farm there.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And we moved into the cottage at Chale Green, known as Elm Cottage.
Mary: And how big was the cottage?
Ruby: It had a scullery, a kitchen and a front room, one front bedroom and then two other bedrooms were joined together you know, at the back of the cottage.
Mary: Yes, and what work did your father do on the farm?
Ruby: Well he helped in the dairy, milking the cows and helped with the hay-making and any general, it was a dairy farm yes.
Mary: Yes, and did your mother work on the farm?
Ruby: No, no, not at all.
Mary: Right. Did you help on the farm at all, when you were growing up?
Ruby: No because I was quite young, no, I was at school you know, in the 30’s I’m talking about.
Mary: Yes, so where did you go to school?
Ruby: I went to school at Chale.
Mary: And where was the school then?
Ruby: It was opposite Chale church, opposite the Wight Mouse Inn.
Mary: Ah right.
Ruby: It’s no longer there.
Mary: And did you enjoy school?
Ruby: Yes I think so, yes.
Mary: And how long did you stay at school for?
Ruby: I stayed until I was 15 I think. 14 or 15 and then I continued on with evening classes at Newport for shorthand typing.
Mary: Right, and how did … when you went to Chale school, how did you get to school?
Ruby: Walked.
Mary: You walked.
Ruby: Walked from Chale Green to Chale School, about almost two miles I expect. I presume I walked with a group of children, there was no transport.
5 minutes 20 seconds
Mary: Yes, and then when you went to college in Newport, how did you travel to Newport?
Ruby: By bus.
Mary: Right. Was there a good bus service from Chale then?
Ruby: I think it was adequate. I remember when I was young the bus fare was one and tuppence return (laughs).
Mary: Right, and how old were you when War broke out?
Ruby: Um, 18.
Mary: Right and what were you doing then?
Ruby: Well I was … in the early 40’s I joined the War Agricultural Committee, in 1944 I joined that, yes. That was after my daughter was born.
Mary: So you didn’t do that as soon as War broke out?
Ruby: No, not particularly. I think you were called up eventually, when you were, I don’t know how old you would be, no.
Mary: And how did you come to be working for the War Agriculture Committee?
Ruby: I think there was a person in Chale called Mr D’Lacy and I think it was him that recommended me, or told me there was a vacancy there or a job there. I didn’t go for an interview, I just seemed to turn up I think (laughs).
Mary: Yes, that was the way it worked then wasn’t it?
Ruby: That was the way it worked, I only had sort of two decent jobs in my life and it just turned up.
Mary: Yes, and so where were you based? Where did you do this work?
Ruby: We were based in Lugley House, in Lugley Street, Newport.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: It was, the building belonged to the Christian Science Society.
Mary: Oh yes.
Ruby: I presume that perhaps the Government took it over in the War and we occupied it for the offices.
Mary: And how many people were employed?
Ruby: Well I have to tell you, I can’t tell you the number of people. There was, the General Clerks department, the Finance Department, the Pest Destruction Department, milk production. Our department where I worked was like a survey office and then there was finance and there was another department in another part of Newport called the Works Department, which looked after machinery and hired out tractors and people helped to work on the farm there.
Mary: Right, so what was actually your job?
Ruby: Well my job was in, I think it was called Surveyors Department. We had … there was a map drawn of each farm, showing the acreage and the division of fields and the Committee, I suppose in the first case gave certain orders for certain crops were grown in that area and we would type out the programme, like for the farmers.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: And then we had two inspectors in the office would check on it and farms were classified. What else happened?
Mary: And was your job in the office or did you have to go out and do some of the surveying?
Ruby: No I was in the office, typist.
Mary: Right and did farmers tend to agree with what the Survey Department said they should grow?
Ruby: I’m not sure they agreed but they were commanded to carry out the work.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And as I say farmers were classified, I mean members, some farmers were ‘A’ and some farmers were ‘C’ but then it was the inspectors I suppose, would encourage them to grow more and do better and improve the status, you know?
Mary: And what crops do you remember being grown?
Ruby: Well I presume they were mostly arable farms because milk production was in another department you know, dairy farms. There would be like potatoes and vegetables and wheat and cereal crops, yes.
Mary: And so, did you say you started this job in 1944?
10 minutes 3 seconds
Ruby: Yes.
Mary: And how long did you continue to do it for?
Ruby: Until it closed in 1956.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: But we moved from Lugley House up to Broadlands.
Mary: Ah yes.
Ruby: In the 50’s. I can’t say when but in the 50’s I presume.
Mary: And were you still living at Chale at this time?
Ruby: Um, yes, yes.
Mary: And travelling in on the bus?
Ruby: On the bus, yes.
Mary: Yes. Do you remember much about when farms had, were worked by horses rather than tractors?
Ruby: Well I remember the 1930’s, I remember the dairy farm at Chale Green where my father worked and all the hay-making, all that was done by hand you know.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: We used to be … they had to cut the hay and build the ricks, hay ricks and we used to be up in with, as children we used to be up and riding on the hay cart and seeing what was going on (laughs).
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: I don’t remember actually a horse there. I remember a horse … the shop at Chale Green, there was no transport and the owner had a horse and van there, used to deliver the groceries and all those things you know, using a horse and van but I don’t remember so much about the horse not, not on the dairy farm, I remember more the cow stable and things.
Mary: And do you remember when milk was collected in milk churns?
Ruby: Oh yes, I remember, well we lived off across the Green and we had to walk across the Green with our milk churn and collect the milk and Margery, the dairy, the daughter of the farm would dish it out from a churn and then we used to go and watch them making the butter.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: And skimming the milk.
Mary: Yes. What sort of equipment did they use to make the butter?
Ruby: Well a churn. I can’t remember.
[Telephone rings]
Ruby: I’m not answering that.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: I remember a churn, you know like a revolving churn.
Mary: Yes and did they make cheese?
Ruby: I can’t remember making cheese, they could have done, yes. I don’t remember that, no.
Mary: Just milk and butter?
Ruby: Milk and butter and I remember them patting up the butter and us taking the butter away and the milk in the jug.
Mary: And did many people live on the farm? Were there many farm workers?
Ruby: No I don’t think so. Well the cow stable was quite adjacent to the farm house in those days and I think my father, I think there were two people worked on the farm; my father and another and the daughter did the work in the dairy, you know. Maybe in hay-making time they might have had an extra help I think.
Mary: Yes. Do you remember how big the farm was?
Ruby: Well the farm had, I think they had about five or six fields.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And one field was called Spanners, which is now Spanners Close, the housing development and that land eventually belonged to, it was glebe land, it belonged to Wootton Church.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: And along Spanners Close, one of the roadways is called St Edmunds Walk which is named after the Wootton church.
Mary: Oh really?
Ruby: Because it all belonged to the glebe land, yes.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And then there was another field called Pack Way where the cows used to go and another field called Well Ground, there’d have been about five fields I expect.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: There was a lane called Eastview Lane off the Green, went up into the fields and that’s also different now, it’s all housing developments up there you know.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: But I remember, well it was quite a rural scene then, lovely house. I remember Eastview Lane with all flowers in the banks and that, you know, so different now isn’t it?
Mary: Yes. Did your brother work on the farm?
Ruby: No, no.
Mary: So you didn’t follow in your father’s footsteps then?
Ruby: No. My brother, when he was young he had polio.
Mary: Oh dear.
Ruby: And he had … he was sent away to Alton I think, to hospital for treatment but eventually he worked in the aircraft industry at Cowes.
15 minutes 20 seconds
Mary: Right, and did you want to work on the farm or did you want to work in an office?
Ruby: No I didn’t want to work on the farm, no, I wanted to do something a bit different. You know, those days, most of the people my age were going into service and doing domestic work weren’t they but I just wanted to do something different so I decided to go and learn, you know, shorthand and typing.
Mary: That’s right, yes. Whilst, during the War, you lived in Chale with your parents on the farm?
Ruby: Yes.
Mary: When did you?
Ruby: No, during the War we’d moved. In the early part of the War we moved from Chale Green up to Upper Chale, in the village.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: Then my father came off the farm then and well, he was doing other general work round the village I think, I can’t remember.
Mary: Oh right, yes.
Ruby: It was just in the 30’s really that we connected with the farming.
Mary: Yes. Thinking of other changes that you’ve noticed, the different crops that were grown, do you remember what was grown in the 1930’s and 1940’s that would be different now?
Ruby: A lot of vegetables like, not on the dairy farm but on the other, sprouts and you know, vegetables, sprouts and swede and all those sorts of vegetables and potatoes of course and certain cereals.
Mary: And do you remember how crops were sold? Were they just sold to local shops or was there a market?
Ruby: I don’t remember a market, I think they might be sold locally I should think, yes.
Mary: And when the War came, did you notice much in the way of shortage of foodstuff?
Ruby: What domestically?
Mary: Mmm.
Ruby: Well we were on rations, I don’t remember too much about it. We seemed to manage very well because being connected with farming, we always, we had our own chickens and we had dairy produce.
Mary: Yes, and did your family have an allotment?
Ruby: No, they had a big garden, we had, grow your own vegetables, had chicken.
Mary: Yes. Did you keep bees at all?
Ruby: No.
Mary: No that wasn’t … and what was your first job when you had trained as a shorthand typist, before you worked for the War Agriculture Committee?
Ruby: I worked in an office in a furniture store in Newport called Wellsprings.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: And it was really in the office, taking money you know from the, people would pay at the kiosk more, it wasn’t like it is today was it, now. Did some work there.
Mary: Yes, and how did you find that job?
Ruby: I don’t remember, probably advert, I don’t remember those days. I can never remember going to the Labour Exchange and signing on or doing anything like that (laughs).
Mary: Yes, yes. And the housing, when your father worked on the farm, was it a tied cottage?
Ruby: A tied cottage, yes.
Mary: It was.
Ruby: Yes.
Mary: And then what happened when he stopped work and couldn’t have the tied cottage anymore?
Ruby: No well fortunately, the early part of the War, an aunt of mine died, my father’s aunt, and left us with the house because before the War, and this is going back a long time, my aunt had a small dairy farm in Chale at Pyle Shute.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: And she used to manage it with her uncle. Her uncle died and my father was called over from Freshwater to help her on the farm, that was before the War, so he came from Freshwater to work at Chale with my aunt and then from then he was called up I presume, and so that’s how eventually she left him the house, but not the house there, it was the house by Chale church that she owned, yes.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: So we moved because we had the house left us.
Mary: Right, so was that a help to you?
Ruby: Well it would be wouldn’t it?
Mary: How was housing at the time?
20 minutes 32 seconds
Ruby: Well the housing at Chale Green, if you read that statement out over there.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: The housing, it was very poor, well adequate, just about adequate you know, you’ll read about it. There were no facilities, no electricity, no hot water, no indoor toilets you know. It was very rural, very basic.
Mary: And what was the house like that your father inherited?
Ruby: At Chale Green? Well that was a well-built house and that had no … when we went there that had no bathroom or anything but with a Council grant, because I was working in the Council then, later on, with a Council grant we had a bathroom and septic tank drainage put in and all, you know and water connected. There was a well in the garden when we went there.
Mary: Oh really?
Ruby: But that, that was all.
Mary: Yes, so how often did you have to draw water from the well?
Ruby: Well I don’t remember much about it because my aunt would have done all that when she lived there. Soon as we moved there we had things altered you know?
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: My grandmother at Niton, remember as a child they had a well and we had to draw water there all the time.
Mary: Yes, and you were saying that your mother, you think she came from the Mainland but she was in service on the Island.
Ruby: My grandmother?
Mary: Oh your grandmother?
Ruby: Yes. Yes she was in service. When she was in service at Blackgang from the Dabell’s.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: My mother you’re talking about?
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Not my grandmother?
Mary: No, no your mother.
Ruby: My mother was in service at Blackgang from the Dabell family.
Mary: Oh right, and what, did she do all sorts of different work there?
Ruby: I suppose so, just domestic work, I wouldn’t, yes she was in service during the War when my father was in France, you know.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Apparently he was away about three or four years, never came home.
Mary: Right, but they were married before he went away was he?
Ruby: No they were married in 1919.
Mary: Ah, oh when he came back.
Ruby: When he came back.
Mary: Yes, but you didn’t want to follow your mother into service?
Ruby: Well no, well that seemed to be, when I left school that was the main occupation really.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And I just decided no, I wanted to do something a bit different and have a better, you know, a better salary, a better life really.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Because I transferred from the War Ag to the Rural District Council.
Mary: Oh right, and where did you work for the Rural District Council?
Ruby: Oh in the Surveyor’s and Public Health.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: We looked after, oh so many things (laughs), refuse collection, all the building by-laws of the building houses and properties and coast erosion, pest destruction.
Mary: Right, and where was the office?
Ruby: In Pyle Street in Newport, opposite the Apollo Theatre, which now I don’t know what it is, is it a doctor’s surgery or something? I can’t remember.
Mary: Yes it is a doctor’s surgery opposite the Apollo, yes.
Ruby: That’s where we worked, yes.
Mary: Yes, so which rural District Council, what was the name of the rural District Council?
Ruby: It was the Rural District Council, covered…
Mary: All the rural areas on the Isle of Wight?
Ruby: No, well we, we covered, yes, let me think where I am. No, we covered certain areas. We didn’t cover the east, we covered the west Wight.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: The west Wight mostly, not Ryde. You see there were different Councils in those days, there was Newport Borough, there was Sandown and Shanklin Council, we covered the rural area of the Island, yes.
Mary: Yes, but mostly you were working on the west Wight?
Ruby: Yes I think it was mostly, yes I think.
Mary: Yes, and when did you come to live in Shanklin?
Ruby: Oh, in 1970.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: I think it was, yes.
Mary: But did you carry on working for the Rural District Council then?
Ruby: Yes, I was working for the Rural District Council and then my sight deteriorated and they transferred me from Newport to Shanklin Town Hall and the Housing Department.
25 minutes 19 seconds
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: Which was the reception and telephone, because I couldn’t do the shorthand typing so well.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: So I finished my Council 25 years up here.
Mary: Oh right, yes, so it was good that they were able to find you a job.
Ruby: Oh yes, they just transferred me over here which was good because it’s nearer home (laughs).
Mary: That’s right, yes.
Ruby: It’s just trying to remember it all isn’t it?
Mary: That’s right, yes. I was trying to think, were there any other things you wanted to tell me about, growing up in Chale in the country?
Ruby: Well.
Mary: Any other memories of that?
Ruby: Well when you read this account over there you’ll hear about that. It was ideal for children I suppose, growing up. We had very little, very basic, the house was very basic and we didn’t have any luxuries but it was a happy childhood you know?
Mary: Yes. Did you have to do too much helping jobs around the house?
Ruby: I don’t remember too much, no. Probably did some, yes but…
Mary: And when you weren’t at school, when it was holiday time you found things to amuse yourselves?
Ruby: Oh we were walking all over the Downs and, you know, always out walking and you were safe those days, you’d take your lunch with you and you’d go … parents weren’t worried about you. You’d go off for the day and come back at teatime. Used to walk all on St Catherine’s Down up to the Monument and back.
Mary: Yes. And do you have any friends who you made at that time who you’re still in touch with?
Ruby: Well no, I had friends but I’m afraid I’m the survivor now (laughs). I can’t remember.
Mary: Did you keep friends with them?
Ruby: Well I kept school friends yes. One girl, school friend used to visit the kennels where they kept the foxhounds, she lived at Bexfield Cross. I kept her ’til after the War you know, until she got married and went away, yes.
[short break in recording]
Mary: Yes. So the other things that we hadn’t talked about were that the health of people at the time that you were growing up. Was there a doctor in Chale?
Ruby: No, the doctor was at Niton.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: We had a … there was a surgery, one of the surgeries had a room in a private house, he came (inaudible) in a certain house, you know, certain days, it wasn’t a proper surgery like there is today, you know.
Mary: Yes, and was there a District Nurse in the area?
Ruby: Yes, there was a District Nurse lived at Chale.
Mary: Right, and were there often accidents on farms?
Ruby: Can’t remember, no, can’t remember any definite, serious accidents, there could have been some minor ones I suppose but no, I can’t remember anything.
Mary: Yes, and what about the social life of being in Chale?
Ruby: Well, the highlight of the year was our Sunday school outing.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: We went to Sandown.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And pop along to things like the Band of Hope.
Mary: Oh yes.
Ruby: That was like where you sign the pledge.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Then there was a Christian (inaudible) meeting. We used to go, there was a church up by the Style Inn called the Bible Christian Church which is no longer there, but it’s a private house. Used to go for Bible lessons there. Band of Hope and the Sunday School and I suppose that was.
Mary: And did you go to church or chapel?
Ruby: Well when I was born at Upper Chale, I was christened at Chale Parish Church but when we lived at Chale Green we went to the … well, it was called the Wesleyan then, it was a Methodist Church, we went there because that was close by you know?
30 minutes 19 seconds
Mary: Yes, and which one had the better outing?
Ruby: Well I didn’t have any outings with the other one because I left so young.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: All my church-going was at Chale Green with the Wesleyan Church, yes. We had Sunday School outings and we had some festivals, singing festivals and anniversary at church sort of things, went to Sunday School every week.
Mary: And was there something like a WI?
Ruby: Well there could have been but I was young, I never belonged to that because when I was, would have belonged to that sort of thing I was working then.
Mary: Yes and what about education? Did you have a good time at school in Chale?
Ruby: Yes, I passed for the Grammar school.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: But I didn’t go because I think one thing, we couldn’t really afford the uniform, you couldn’t afford things those days, it was a bit of a struggle I think.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: You know, so I just continued at Chale and then I took up the shorthand typing myself, yes.
Mary: Did you do any exams at Chale School?
Ruby: I expect so, I can’t remember what. I passed the 11 plus and my name was on the board, I don’t know. [Telephone rings].
Mary: We’ll just leave that to carry on. Perhaps if we just wait for it to stop ringing.
Ruby: Yes.
Mary: Then we’ll carry on.
Ruby: I’ve got a mobile, if my daughter wanted me she’d be ringing my mobile.
Mary: Yes, and did many people from Chale go to the Isle of Wight College to learn shorthand and typing?
Ruby: I can’t remember anyone when I went. I can’t remember anyone from my school.
Mary: What sort of jobs did people go to then, when they left Chale School?
Ruby: Oh dear.
[Telephone rings].
Ruby: Oh for goodness sake. People worked at Blackgang I think.
Mary: Ah yes.
Ruby: You know, Blackgang Park and that. I suppose people worked in service and that, yes.
Mary: Yes. Shall we stop now? Then you can find out who’s telephoning you and call back. So, now we’ve had a short break for the telephone. So tell me about the Slaughterhouse at Chale Green.
Ruby: Well we lived in the cottage called Elm Cottage. There was a couple more cottages alongside.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Going towards the south and next door to those cottages, very near, was the Slaughterhouse.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: Well there were hardly any regulations then, there couldn’t have been because us children, we played up there in amongst everything. I said we used to go and watch that man and watch him making the sausages.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: And you know, you could hear the pigs come in and squealing and all, we didn’t take any notice.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: There couldn’t have been the regulations those days because the Slaughterhouse was so near the houses, you know?
Mary: Yes and how wide an area did it serve? Did people come from far?
Ruby: Well they must have brought pigs, they must have come from far mustn’t they, they must have come, not from Chale particularly.
Mary: Yes and the person who ran the Slaughterhouse, did he run a farm as well?
Ruby: Well I think the premises were owned by Mr Brown at the shop.
Mary: Oh right.
Ruby: Because our house was owned by Mr Brown at the shop.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Where those cottages were there.
Mary: Yes, would you like to tell me about the shop for the tape? What things do you remember being sold in the shop?
Ruby: Oh goodness, everything I suppose (laughs). It was part of the dwelling house, you went into the shop and there was a door went straight through to their kitchen, it was a quite a big shop. It sold everything yes, all groceries. I presume not milk or anything, I suppose that was sold by the dairy but it would be groceries and like I say, poultry and chickens.
35 minutes 19 seconds
Mary: Would you like to tell me the story about the rabbits, for the tape?
Ruby: The rabbits, about the rabbits being hung outside?
Mary: That’s right.
Ruby: The rabbits were… my father used to go rabbiting, they used to go with a crowd of several men, take nets.
Mary: Oh really?
Ruby: And catch the rabbits under nets.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And then he would bring them home and my mother would have the job of cleaning them and skinning them.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: And doing all that, and anyway they would, oh eventually, that way or they would go to the shop to be sold, yes.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And they would be hung out as you say, hanging outside and well, no cover or anything, they would just hang outside to be sold.
Mary: And what did some of the naughty boys do?
Ruby: Well they used to sometimes take a rabbit away and come back and re-sell it to Mr Brown (laughs).
Mary: Yes. There were probably other things that the boys got up to.
Ruby: Oh yes, well if you want to have a copy of that other thing you can take that.
Mary: That’s lovely, thank you very much.
Ruby: And you can use any of that if it’s of any interest can’t you?
Mary: Yes. Well that’s been really interesting, I’ve very much enjoyed.
Ruby: I told you a bit about the Spanners Close, at the Spanners Farm, Spanners Field, where we used to have to do the hay-making, and now Spanners Close didn’t I?
Mary: That’s right, yes.
Ruby: Which is the development there.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And at Eastview Lane there’s more developments on the other side, the Council built houses up there.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: But it’s so different and, oh I hope I can remember some of it.
Mary: Yes, yes, it’s been really interesting listening to what you’ve had to say.
Ruby: Well you can sort of sort it out and see, I expect when you’re gone I shall remember other things!
Mary: (Laughs). I’ll switch it off now.
Ruby: I think there was a lot of work in the War, you know, people in the War Ag, they looked after all the farmers and made sure that they were growing all the produce they could I suppose and the milk production, the milk production obviously they would check to see that they were getting a good yield.
Mary: And did the War Ag provide things like tractors?
Ruby: Yes, there was, I said in the Works Department, Machinery Department we called it, I think that was down in Hollywood Street, somewhere down there, their offices but yes they had tractors and they had men would go and drive the tractors or help on the farms I think. There was a staff there, workmen there, yes.
Mary: Yes. I suppose working on a farm was a reserved occupation was it?
Ruby: Oh it would be yes, it would be, it was in the War of course yes, it was in the War, prior to the War.
Mary: And after the War the War Agriculture Committee carried on you said, until the 1950’s?
Ruby: Well about ’55 I think it ceased, we were working at Broadlands then but I was not in that department then, I was up on, in the clerk’s department up there.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: And the same went on but I suppose, you know, everything was closed then because it, the farmers were left to carry on.
Mary: Yes.
[Telephone rings]
Ruby: I’m not answering that.
Mary: Yes, I’ll switch this off and you can answer the phone.
Ruby: No it’s Jan I expect, I’ll go back later and do it.
Mary: Right.
Ruby: So I suppose you’ll sort out bits and pieces, what you want to use?
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: Well I don’t mind you coming round if I can think of anything else.
Mary: Yes.
Ruby: I hope I’ve been helpful.
Mary: Oh very helpful indeed.
Ruby: It’s just that, you know, trying to remember, it’s so long ago.
Mary: Yes. I’ll switch it off now.
Interview ends
39 minutes 34 seconds
Transcribed December 2017 by Chris Litton
