When I was young my dad started work for Westmorland ‘War Ag’ in 1941 as a tractor driver, based at the old stable block at Oxenholme House, Oxenholme.

They were organised and run by the Westmorland War Agricultural Committee in Kendal that had been set up in 1915 for the previous war and had been reinstated at the beginning of the Second World War.

The farmers did not have tractors on the farms in those days – they just worked with horses. So when production of food had to be stepped up and Britain had to be made more self-efficient the men of the War Ag were required to speed up production on the land.

There was a big workshop and stores at the depot and six fitters. There were about 15 tractor drivers and in the winter time thrashing (threshing) was the main job. My dad’s area was the Lakes and the thresher was a Ransome – it had a three foot six inch drum.

The farmers sometimes would be short of staff and they would get prisoners from Bela Prison, Milnthorpe. My dad got on well with them - some came from small farms in Germany.

After the war some stayed in England and worked on farms. Later on the Italians came to Bela and in their spare time used to make rings and bracelets out of aluminium. I remember my sisters getting some.

Dad looked after the thrasher in the thrashing gang. Percy Elwood would feed the thrasher and Bert Hill would look after the trusser or bottler.

Meals were made by the farmer’s wife for everyone – tatty hash or hot pot followed by rice pudding and plenty of tea.