'Ray Rands Farming and Cycling Days' video CD

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'Ray Rands Farming and Cycling Days' video CD

Contains reminiscences of Ray Rands, a local farmer, about his life in rural Holderness and also his time spent on cycling tours. Duration: 46 mins Timing. Action on film: (00:08) Ray Rands tells us that he was born in 1930 near Barton upon Humber. His father was married at Withernsea in 1928. (00:48) Ray says that his earliest memory is of his father taking him to Haxey, North Lincolnshire, on Haxey Hood Day. This commemorates the time in the 1600s when Lady Haxey lost her hood and the farm workers found it for her. They commemorate this by having a kind of rugby scrum for a hat once a year. It ends in the village public house. (03:02) His father used to work for a farmer called Nicholson, who owned several farms. He used to set [snickets] to catch rabbits and his mother would hide them under the pram covers. On one occasion Ray's baby brother nearly revealed this to the farmer inadvertently. Some photographs are shown of Ray's baby brother. (04:04) Reminiscence about when Ray's father hid 6 pheasants on a wire up the chimney in the washhouse, the local policeman visited and gave him a stern warning after finding them. (05:55) His father had a row with a neighbour and they moved to Park House Gates in Leconfield. This was a mile and a half from the shop and there was no running water or lighting. They left after a month. (07:17) The family moved near to Sigglesthorne Crossing by Rise. (07:33) Reminiscence about when his father was too ill to go to the Harvest Festival service and the farmer sacked him. (08:37) Ray speaks of when they got into trouble at school by kicking empty petrol cans around. (09:29) The dinner they took to school at that time was condensed milk, sandwiches, tea, sugar and milk. If the children misbehaved then the teacher would not allow them to make tea at dinnertime. (09:49) Reminiscence about moving to Tunstall, opposite the church, and his father having a row with the farmer which forced the family to move again. (10:13) Ray speaks about the family's next move in which they lived rent-free in the first house on Seaside Road, [Tunstall]. [10:20] The farmer came and tried to evict them but his mother trapped the farmer's foot in the door and hit him with a brush. The family reported the farmer to the police. (11:20) The family moved to Welwick to an old house near the school. A photograph of Welwick is shown. (11:59) The man who employed Ray's father was an old 'nippercorn', or 'miser', and Ray's father had to pursue him for his wages. Reminiscence about when Ray's father hit his employer who fell and knocked his head. (13:38) The family left farming work and moved into the western part of the Hildyard Arms in Patrington, where they paid rent to Darley's Brewery. The rent remained at 3 shillings a week between 1938 and 1956. A photograph is shown of the family stood outside the building. (14:02) The family moved into a council house and his father went to work, first on building sites and then with Ray's uncle at [Sissons]. (14:11) Ray describes the house at the Hildyard Arms and tells us that it was an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) post during the Second World War. (16:07) By this time Ray was working on a farm for [Pugh] the butcher. He worked 50 hours a week for 8 shillings. (16:27) Ray left this job and went to work at Sissons in Hull with his father. (16:44) He left work aged 18 years when he was called up for National Service. (18:06) Reminiscence about school years between 1940 and 1944. Ray did three paper rounds for 2s 6d per week. At one point he was 'machine-gunned' by a low-flying German plane attacking a local mill. (20:15) Ray describes other jobs he had as a child. (21:32) He describes the story of the [prune] pies which one farmer used to give his harvest workers for lunch. He describes them as 'hard and tough as hell's floor'. Ray also discusses other incidents relating to this type of work. (25:54) Ray sings various songs of farming life, including 'To be a farmer's boy'. (29:52) When Ray was aged 14 years he worked on a farm at Patrington for Alf [Hewster] who made him milk 12 cows by himself. Ray also had a fight here with the foreman. (32:22) Later he was sent to plough a field despite having not had any training. A photograph is shown of Ray ploughing a field. An old labourer eventually showed him what to do. The other foreman was replaced by George Willy Kitchen, a quiet 'chapel man' who taught Ray everything about the work. When George died, Ray made a plaque in his honour at Welwick church. (34:20) Reminiscence about when Ray was aged 10 years and had a job delivering meat for the butcher on his old bicycle. He collided with an elderly postman on his bicycle and the postman clipped him around the ear. Ray delivered his meat but then got another clip from the butcher. He describes the butcher's wife, a Scottish lady, who was very kind to him. (37:20) Ray talks about a local character during the Second World War called Herbert Jackson, a local draper. He was known as 'Calico Jackson' by the locals. He was a preacher, magistrate and Chief ARP Warden during the war. (38:44) Ray's father was called up for the army when Ray was aged 10 years. He worked as a cook and a butcher in the army, and served in India and other places. (39:04) Stationed at Bridlington was Aircraftsman Shaw who was 'Lawrence of Arabia'. He and Ray's father served together on the air-sea rescue boat. (39:18) While his father was away, Ray's mother had 'Calico Jackson' join them for Christmas dinner. (39:37) On Christmas Day they listened to the King's speech on the radio. (41:36) Ray describes his annual sponsored bicycle rides and mentions Dr [Sherman] who 'did' his legs for him. He describes some of his fellow cyclists on these rides. (45:54) Reminiscence about a visit to the local lifeboat station. Ray's bicycle was damaged when it was parked outside there. Brian [Bevin], the coxswain, took him home in the lifeboat jeep and logged it as a rescue. Public access copy available on Preservica: https://eastriding.access.preservica.com/ (Search 'DDX1271/1')