PART 3 - On the road contd. The local story of millionaire, Geoff Bells chartered accountant investing £1,250,000 into the Village Development Project in Almancil, and Geoff never seeing a penny in return.
Gordon’s elder brothers farm was Low Houses, Wigton. He was a dairy farmer and also a horse trainer, a real gentleman; I knew him from being at Gordon’s. I lived in with them with all food included. My job was not involved with the livestock but was more general and tractor work and also to drive the horse box truck with the trainers and jockeys. John Dixon’s son John did all the milking and looking after the herd and calves. He was fully dedicated to the dairy, and of all the dairy men I have known I think young John could get the most milk out of each cow for the cheapest input. Father John and young John had their own mix of cattle food, not the expensive normal cattle food made by the likes of BOCM, Carr’s Mill, etc.
Working at Low Houses was like being freed from jail after being at Pow Hill. John had about 30 horses in training so there were plenty of people around the farmyard all day. There were stable lads, one jockey, John the blacksmith,
and horse owners popping in and out. I would take the race horses and trainers out for gallops twice a week in the large Ford Diesel horse box, once to the beaches to gallop in the sand, and once to a normal gallop area. Also I would take the appointed horses to the races all over the UK.
I did not gamble at all because I learned from one of the stable lads Peter. He got paid every Thursday and by Monday morning he was broke; he had to make a sub every week. John the boss never gambled. The jockey there was Johnny O’Hara, an Irishman. We became very good friends and we had lots of fun. I had a Ford 8 van which we often used to go to dances. Every week there were dances at Waverton, Rosley, Wigton and Thursby. Johnny was a small guy who did not drink, but had plenty of courage, so he did not need the drink. He would ask any girl to get up and dance. There was a farm up the road called The Beck. The family were Bonesses, also a horse family, and the daughter was called Ann, a very smart young lady who was Miss Cumberland. Well Johnny would always get her up to dance, which she did, because they had something in common, the horses. Johnny thought he was in with a very good chance and he never gave up on her, but I told him that he had more chance of going to the moon than getting off with Ann; it turned out I was right. But he was still in the race and he married the daughter of Mr Atkinson, another horse trainer from Carlisle.
I enjoyed my time in Wigton but it was time to move onto my next plan.
On the farms you agreed a six-month hire. My hire with John Dixon was up at the end of September 1961. John asked if I was staying on for another six months? I said John, thanks for asking me but I think you know what I want to do.
I think I do, you want to go truck driving full time.
Yes I will be 21 years old on 28 February next year and can drive any heavy goods vehicle.
He wished me well and good luck.
My idea was to get a truck driving job with Fred Brown after hearing he was paying the best wages. I had met Fred Brown before when I was working with Gordon Dixon. My van broke down one night outside his bungalow at Bank End, Thursby, where his depot was. I knocked at his door and he answered and I told him I had broken down and could I use his phone to call my pal to pick me up? He invited me to use the phone and also allowed me to stay in until I was picked up. We got chatting and he knew who I was and where I was working; we got on fine. So I dropped in at Fred Brown’s depot to speak to him.
He was then living with Gordon and John Dixon’s sister. He was then living with Gordon and John Dixon’s sister Irene so he knew exactly what I had been doing. He knew I was after a driving job but could not put me on HGVs until I was 21 so he said I could go on the tractor and spreading until I was 21, so I accepted the job and started after I had finished at John Dixon’s and moved back home to live with my mother.
My first day was an 8am start at Brown’s. Fred had a tractor and spreader ready and gave me a farm address – Brocklebank Farm, Brocklebank, Wigton. He said he would take his van and meet me at the farm to tell me what to do. We met at the farm and I followed him for a mile or so into the fields and then he stopped. I stopped behind him, got off the tractor and could not believe my eyes. There was this big long high stack of bagged slag, must have been 100 ton. Fred said There you are – good first job for you. He showed me all the fields that were to be treated at half a ton to the acre. I will come and pick you up about 4.30pm. So off he went. I had this first job polished off before Fred expected and it showed in my first week’s wages.
To read the full Geoff Bell Story CLICK HERE.
