Deja vu, the Snow
It has all happened before, but this time we do seem to have had enough of this subzero temperature. We also expect so much more from the service providers; trains on time, aircraft leaving for distant places when we expect them to go, and freedom to do almost anything our fancy dictates. But in the end we are not completely in control of our destiny.
It must be forty years ago that we had a similar snow fall here, but then we had most of it in the south east, and this village was cut off for two or three days. The drifts between the hedges on both sides of the village stopped all traffic, as they were three feet high. The fields had the measure of the deposit, perhaps ten inches, but the hedges collected the drifts.
These hedges were the remnants of the days when sheep and cattle roamed the fields, and formed an essential part of keeping them at home. Today they are an added expense, and have been reduced so as not to cost too much in maintenance. My reason of setting this background is to recount the events of a particular evening. The phone rang about eight o'clock in the evening with a request to borrow one of the firm's tractors to get a stranded car home. Permission was of course granted, and from then on Eldred was in charge of events.
I met him next day at breakfast time at Anglesey House, but without his tractor, and looking quite red-faced
I'm sorry Governor, he said, but your tractor is stuck in the road just past Chambers Gate. I have not locked it up, but I think it is safe for time being. Why did you not leave it earlier I enquired? Spending the whole night there was not really necessary. Oh yes it was, came the reply. You know I was never alone all night. Folk were trying to get home through the deep snow, and were grateful for a rest and a warm-up in my cab.
The tractor, which one would guess could extricate itself from most situations was cast in the compact snow, the wheels spinning in the air. Next day we did manage to clear away the snow starting at the village end, and dumping it in the adjacent field, there was no by-pass in those days This cold spell resulted in several water mains being frozen. The pipe to the Old Vicarage had to be thawed by the Water Board, using welding equipment to heat the cast iron pipe. It is a good tip to run the water now and again to help keep the pipes free of ice.
Cage Hill was the favourite assembly point as the youngsters really enjoyed the long cresta run, but the farming business did suffer. As the cold spell continued the business of selling potatoes was getting serious, as the demand for food was increasing, as was the price.
In those days spuds were stored in heaps at the edge of the field, near a gateway and hard road if possible. These heaps or clamps as we called them were about six feet wide, triangular in shape, and as long as necessary. They were covered with straw, apart from a narrow ventilation hole at the top, as a form of thatch, and finally had a layer of earth thrown over to keep the straw from blowing away. This layer of earth was later doubled in thickness, to give added protection from the frosts.
All this work was done by hand, and if done well looked very business-like. When the time came for sending the potatoes to market, all this covering had to be removed. In this time of hard frosts the earth on the sides was firmly fixed, both to the straw and the ground. The easy way out would be to wait for the frost to melt, at which time the job would be routine, and easy. The demand grew as potatoes were at that time part of the staple diet, so they must be produced.
The only way forward was to clear one side of the clamp that had some sunshine on it, and could be broken into slabs of earth by wedges and pickaxes. The cold side was left standing and the crop processed by digging underneath it. This presented problems. It was so cold that we had to have a fire burning under the riddle. This was a machine which used to be turned by hand, but thankfully in my time was turned by a small engine, which separated out the best potatoes ready to be bagged up and sold. We all operated under a plastic sheet in the from of a tent which did give us some protection, but the best way of keeping warm was to have a go on the shovel !
These cold spells did test our ingenuity, and working far from the madding crowd tested our resolve to get the job done. No excuses. One bonus of these cold spells was the skating. The drains and rivers provided space for everyone, and the old "Fen Runners" a type of skate which could cope with reeds and un- level ice, were almost essential. Oh to be young again and indulge in these sports, but age does have it's advantages. The urge to do these things diminishes.