Oral History collection: Norman Richards (born 1902, Kimley Moor, near Pilton Green, farmer) interviewed by J. Mansel Thomas about Gower life

Track 1. [00:00:43] Gower: In Pilton there was a far with dogs who bark at the sign of rain. [00:00:02] Gower: A black butt is a sign of rain coming in the Gower. [00:01:14] Gower: Born in Kimley Moore went to school in Rhosilli and left school at 14 when he worked on his dad's farm. Discusses his brother's jobs as bus driver for SWT and Landyard at Rhosilli. [00:02:16] Farming: Cattle, Sheep. Potatoes, Swede, Mangles, Onions, Carrotts, Parsnips grown on his farm. There was a shortage of Onions in the war so that instigated them to grow them. [00:02:47] First World War: He was 12 in 1914 and remembers going to the forge and hearing that the war had started. Told about his brother who was trained in morse code and was a morse code operator during the war. [00:03:51] First World War: Discussion about the effects on him with First World War and Second World War, Swansea bombed and set on fire. [00:04:07] First World War: Remembering the Old Zeppelin. [00:04:24] First World War: When the war broke out his father was up the fields rabbiting. Mention of Joseph Richards. [00:05:15] Family: Life at home discussion over food available to family and home made produce. Talk about farming being harder in those days than today with mechanical assistance. [00:06:53] Farming: Lost his eye on Pilton Farm. He was ferreting and a collier on the next farm was trying to shoot a rabbit when he was shot by accident. Talk about his hospital stay and pellets that are still inside his body from this shooting. [00:07:52] Farming: How ferreting was used, talk about his dad shooting. [00:08:16] Farming: Rabbits, Pheasants were hunted by the shooter in the day there was a lot of rough ground in Henllys. [00:08:55] Estates: Shotman from Penrice Castle came around and used to have food at his parents house. 4pm they would go out and collect their shootings. [00:09:37] Estates: Park y Redding discussed. Phil Tucker Laurels was paid off from his job and sacked from Park y Redding as he was caught shooting Pheasants. [00:10:00] Estates: Opinion of the Estate and working hours for him on the farm. [00:10:33] Sport: Played quoits, football and cycled his bike up Middleton Bank. [00:10:52] Sport: Recreational activities discussed. [00:12:14] Sport: Quoits game discussed and described. [00:12:55] Sport: Talk about 'Knocky' who was the best Quoits player in the Gower. Talk of Knocky's recent death. [00:13:03] Sport: Quoits were played in Pairs - Talk about Lyn Grove who was one of the best players in Llanrhidian. [00:14:23] Sport: Quoits faded out soon after the war started as it was a game of teams they couldn't afford transport to travel as petrol was short. Talk about Sam Morris who would drive his lorry to neighbouring villages to play the games. Leagues in Quoits discussed. [00:15:06] Sport: Won a cup for Quoits and for draughts. The cup was won against Oxwich. [00:15:26] Sport: Speaker would play all games going for football, draughts and Quoits. [00:15:56] Sport: Lost his eye in the October of his 20th year and in the following April he started playing Quoits. [00:16:30] Community: Discussion about his glass eyes and his new plastic eye including costing. Dr Harris was his doctor and he details a consultation with him and a student. [00:17:54] Health: 10 Years before the recording he gained cataracts in his good eye and had to stop driving. Details about his experience of cataract. [00:18:16] Health: Whilst he had cataract he was chauffeured around by Jim Brocky, he has since had cataract removed. [00:19:11] Family: Talk about his sister-in-law and Stanley Beynon's wife having Glaucoma. [00:19:51] Farming: Discussion about his enjoyment of farming and wining prizes for ploughing. Teaching Chris Beynon how to plough. [00:21:32] Farming: Judging ploughing and what is expected of the participants/contestants. [00:22:25] Health & Farming: Only sight in one eye but he was still the best at ploughing. First tractor bought in 1939 so up until this time he always ploughed with a horse. [00:22:56] Farming: Horse ploughing, harnesses and preparing to be judged. [00:23:53] Farming: How ploughing with horses was different to ploughing with tractors. Details on language or wording used to communicate with horses whilst ploughing. [00:24:19] Farming: Other calls used by farmers on cows and sheep. [00:24:42] Family: speaker used to live with Jack and Annie Gibbs over a period of 2 winters. [00:25:41] Family: Annie Gibbs would have a lot of visitors in the Summer. [00:25:52] Community: The Gibbs house is now abandoned, dilapidated and uninhabited. [00:26:01] Farming: Talk about introduction to machines and them planting potatoes for you and what it was like with horses before this. [00:27:11] Farming: Mechanical life style in farming has changed the taste of corn by the way it is processed. [00:27:55] Farming: Corn being cropped faster. [00:28:01] Farming: Farm size was 140acres. [00:28:11] Farming: Bought farm after his dad died which was 38-40achres of land however the house was sold back to the old Harding. [00:28:45] Estates: Talk about him renting his current property. [00:29:00] Farming: Discussion about the strong land with clay in some fields makes fertiliser hold better compared with the gravelly soil that allows fertiliser to sink. [00:29:58] Farming: There were 6 acres of Early potatoes and 8 acres of Late potatoes they'd have 3 tonnes of seed a year costings discussed Track 2. [00:00:03] Farming: Sheep fallen on floor and thrashing around. Put ashes in the still and the wind would blow out the dust. [00:00:43] Farming: Place and location of the farm spoken about. Trees used to grow outside the dairy years ago that had been self planted. [00:01:38] Farming: Mr Lee attempting to grow trees. Speaker said that he and Arthur Thomas who was home fro Australia had helped plant them and the trees were Cornish Elm's. [00:02:28] Farming: Trees were also planted by Bowens shop. [00:02:46] Farming: Winds in the area and how they affect them. [00:02:58] Gower: Discussion about the change in climate over the years and memories of colder winters. [00:04:19] Gower: Discussion about the English loving the seaside and locals taking it for granted. [00:05:22] Gower: Conservation of Gower discussed along with a very good Blacksmith (Mr Jones) who turned farmer and used to have a love for boxing. [00:07:16] Community: Walter Bynon the brother of 'Knocky' used to keep the post office I Porteynon Sam Morris (speakers brother-in-law) used to go to the old sheds the milking parlour to box at 17 or 18 years of age. [00:08:14] Sport: People used to travel to come and watch or participate in the boxing at Morgan farm. [00:08:58] Sport: Speaker relays a story about Jim Thomas, Stanley Beynon, William Long, William Jones and himself boxing and Will Jones getting the better of the speaker at the fields at the side of Sid Thomas's houses. [00:10:19] Sport: Story about taking his glass eye out when boxing and playing football with the sight of 1 eye. [00:11:00] Sport: Boxing was popular when the troops were back from war in Llangenech. Talk about Eric and John Gibbs and Douglas Davies being challenged by Gibbs to a boxing match