Today is the 24th of February 2014.

And Pam Colley and Madge Danes are interviewing Mr.

Bobby Baker. Um, Bobby was born in Fanhope.

Bob was born in Fohope, and so he's going to tell us about his early years in the village and maybe what he thinks about it when he pops back from time to time.

OK Bob, when were you born? 3rd of December 1945.

Where was that? Where were you? I was actually born in Hereford County Hospital.

Um, and I can't tell you the name of the ward, but I suppose it must have been the, uh, maternity ward of the day.

That's right, yeah. That's good. And did you have brothers and sisters? I was the eldest, so I was the first born. I did have 2 sisters, so I still have 2 sisters. Um, They were born later, of course.

Reasonable by the by that time I'd already started my history. That's good.

So where did you actually live? For a couple of years due to um um. Situation of illness in the family.

I lived in Hereford at an ounce, um, and then by the time I was 4 years old, um, I moved out to Fernhope to live with my grandmother's. Um, and that was my home.

So where, where was that in Fernhope? Tump Cottage, right opposite the the pump. The actual tub cottage. It's no longer there. Oh yes. Oh right. To cottage in the little row of cottages on the left on the corner of the Woolhope Road right right opposite the pond, right, yes, so number one that would have been nearest the Woolhope Road, right, OK.

Oh, good. And so what was your grandma's name then, Mrs. Susan Davis, Mrs. Susan Davis, and you had more family in the village, didn't you? Um, yes, um. Mostly centred from um Tub Cottage because I still had aunts and uncles who lived at home at the time.

Um, Uh, who am I trying to think of? Auntie Don and Uncle John were married when I was 4, so I just moved to Fahove then.

Who was Auntie Doll? That's Mr. and Mrs. Oys. Uh, who lived at Lux all first before moving to camp. Court or the state of course when I was living there first in the village, Court Orchard was nonexistent.

That was one of the fields we weren't allowed to play in. So did you have granddad at home as well? No, granddad had already died.

Um, my great granddad lived at Lowood.

Um, I used to love going out to see great granddad.

Uh, but no, um, it was just grandma.

Uh, Well to Don't move it away, steel, all right.

5 aunts and uncles, my mum, myself and my gran.

Yes, yeah. Right, so, um, the, the sisters, you say you had some sisters, yeah, were they in Fan Hope or were they living elsewhere? No, they at the time I'm just talking about, they weren't even born.

No, no, but as time went on and you had sisters, they stayed, they lived in Fan Hope as well, and we all went to Fan Hope school, right, um. I stayed in Fairhope until I was what, 1815, 19.

Good.

Um, my sisters and I believe, yeah, they married fromarhope. And moved out to their own individual homes, you know.

Well, one lived, I think they both lived in the village at different times in different spots. My eldest sister lived in. Nova wood What was her name? What is her name? Her name at the time was Marilyn Lowe. It still is, I think.

Um, and then she lived on Scots for his estate.

Um, then she moved into town, right, and the other sister, my other sister.

I can't say exactly how the sequence went.

Her name became Linda Harwood. Uh, she lived on where those little bungalows are close to Tom Cottage, but off on the end of Scotsburgs, the little flat top bungalows.

She lived there for a little while and now lives at Brockhampton. Oh right, so we moved up the hill. That's right, yes. OK. What do you remember about school in Fanhope? Um, remember enjoying every minute of it. I loved school, um. I idolised my primary teacher who, I believe her name was Dorothy Powell.

It was either Dorothy or Doreen. I can't remember actually, ginger headed lady. You could see her from a mile away, but she was a lovely person. Um Then I remember. When I moved up to the secondary or junior Bs they were called, there I there was a teacher at first, but I don't remember who that was.

I remember Mrs. Soulsby taking over then and becoming my teacher. For possibly about 2 years and then Mr.

Nicholson came in and was the juniors and Mr. Richardson. Became a seniors master because found school at that time had it right through to the school leaving.

um. Now what was his name used to play the clarinet.

Mr. Jacobs. He was the senior's master when I first went to school and then I was the headmistress, of course, Mrs. Fanny Pure, never to be forgotten. Why should she never be forgotten? Because she was could be a stern, very fair lady, um, She let you know her opinions on um.

Your abilities.

I would never let you forget. That you should attain a level because of it. Never let you forget, pretty strict, but I think that was the. Code of the day then in most schools.

Um, I managed to get close to a few broken fingers, but not quite, several occasions. I wonder why that happened.

What happened then? The school teachers all call me chatterbox. I can't think for the life of me why, but um.

No, I, I enjoyed my time at school, um, especially at Fannhope school.

Just as a point of interest in there, since the very early 1900s.

Something about 1906, 1908, there has always been a member of our family in Fanhoek School.

Is that right? Generation after generation has followed on, and I think we still have a member might have just moved, but I think we still have a member in Fan Hope School now. It's never been broken since 190 something.

Had you got a favourite subject or? Oh, maths and English. Um, I liked woodwork, but we didn't do it at Fanno school.

I hated gardening, but they did that. And my family were of course the market gardeners in the village. Uh, but I hated gardening.

Um, I could see no benefit in it at all except being able to eat. Um, so who was, who in your family was doing the market gardening? You say they were the market gardeners of the village.

Who were they? Well, my one uncle, my eldest uncle that I knew. Uh, who lived at home. I am led to believe, and I'm pretty sure it's probably right, that he went to university with Percy thrower. And he was my uncle was an horticulturalist, was um the main gardener at several of the village large houses, but he also together with another uncle and my grandmother who was kind of the Shall we say the storekeeper for uh ran the market gardening we had a massive back garden and a 5 acre field up at Rudge end the farm, Harry Robbins farm.

And uh And with the kindness of the fire brigade when the weather was too warm and dry, they used to practise with their fire engine and water to the field for us.

So what was the name of this uncle who was the gardening man? William Henry Davis, known as Harry.

Harry, and he lived at T Cottage with you.

Oh he did indeed, right, but were they always 3 cottages there? I mean, it's 334 cottages. Yes, there was a thatched cottage which belonged to Mr.

and Mrs. Pocknell when I was there, um, but that thatched cottage sadly burned down. I met so many chimney fires there and it used to be bedlam because of the fear of the thatched roof going. But, uh, cottages were never thatched. They've always been slate as far as I'm aware, I've never known them to be anything but slate, but uh. Yeah, the number 4 was a uh a thatched roof. It's good, isn't it? OK, um, what about any sport and things at school? Did you do have to do any activity? Um, I was never really built for the, uh, shall we say, yeah.

The brutal sport.

I enjoyed running. I was for I think everywhere I went twice as fast as I needed to, um. And I really didn't get involved.

I remember a couple of times.

I, I'm a bit um. I like to think of it that I, I enjoy fair play and I cannot stand the other way.

So when things didn't go very right in school sports, um, I used to voice my opinion rather loudly, and I can remember Mr. Richardson, uh, sending me away from the play area, uh, at least once. And um But no, I didn't really, the village sports weren't for me. The running was fine, um, when it came to. Um, club walk day.

I was always in the, the races, had to be in the races. I couldn't do it any other way. I enjoyed that. Then when I went to secondary school, I wasn't built for rugby and still not built for rugby. Um, I couldn't get the school to buy a size 3 cricket bat. The smallest they had was a size 4, and that meant I was holding it under my chin because I was, I was only 5, I was 4' 11 when I left school at 17.

So, um, those sports didn't appeal to me.

Fortunately, at secondary school, Mr. Thomas, who was our school uh sportsmaster. He was married to.

One of the Singing trio of sisters from Will Hope.

Um, The Fany Jenkins.

That was her, her name and Mr.

Thomas married my family and he was our sports master. And so I got a little bit because he knew my family. I was able to lean a bit heavily on him, I suppose. And I ended up that I was allowed to do instead of rugby or cricket, I was allowed to do cross country and I was in my element. I loved long distance running, so that was sport really for me all the way, though I would have liked to have played football, but um. Grammar schools in those days didn't do that.

Which secondary school did you go to. So, and uh you said you enjoyed maths.

Oh yes, I love maths. Who was your maths teacher? Uh, well, there was no specific maths teacher that found hope, of course, um, but I remember it's at Ross Grammar School. I started with a mystery.

I think he was one of the senior masters there.

And then my maths mistress was Miss Voss, brilliant.

Got on well with Miss Voss.

She was younger, um, had a sense of humour. Um, I wasn't frightened to. Use that sense of humour with the with the pupils as well.

So yeah, Miss Boss was that's difficult balance, isn't it, for teachers? Yes, very difficult. I wouldn't have liked to be a teacher, wouldn't suited me at all, um, but she was excellent, um. Yeah, that was maths, English.

who took you for English? Do you know I can't think who I started off with.

But the one I remember mostly was Mister Ted West.

I lived at Western and panyard, excellent teacher.

Again, because he got.

Well, like I just said.

I thought he was excellent and you can't have a better way for a teacher to appeal to a pupil, you know, so for me, yeah, he was brilliant. He helped me with, I was to write projects. He loved the fact that I was an. Avid reader and had been as soon as I could start to read, I was one of the proverbial, you know, torch under the sheets when it it was lights out.

I had to read my book, um, and did he get you writing poetry as well. I hate poetry, sorry about that, but poetry that doesn't appeal to me. If it's a thriller, um. Or suspense or something that you have to work out and I like to be involved in the story, poetry. Considering I'm a musician, poetry to me is wet.

Before we get on to your musician bit, you mentioned Mary Soulsby earlier just in passing.

How did she come to influence you? How did you get on with? She was one of the people in the village that there weren't a lot of us children about in the village then because Court Orchard sate hadn't been built. So Mrs. Soulsby was one of those, she was a lady. She wasn't a woman at the village.

She was a lady. Um, She carried herself with a character which when you saw her.

You were prepared to touch your cap and say good morning, ma'am.

Um, Which was expected of you anyway, but you were happy to do so, but she never made you feel like you had to.

She Again, she was the sort of person who spoke to you.

Not just passing the time of day as an adult to a child.

It's hard to describe really even remember, it's just that she was always so pleasant, so comfortable to be with and.

One of the other reasons I looked after her with her sons, Richard, especially who was more my age, Jeremy was a little younger, um, You didn't, not everyone got invited to Mr.

and Mrs. Soulsbury's. Um And I'm not trying to put myself on a pedal so far from it, uh, but. I was one of the fortunate ones who found myself invited to.

Go and play at Richard's or go to his birthday party.

Uh, and I felt. Quite honoured actually, because that was the way.

The Salisbury's family appealed to me.

I can't say they were for the other, uh, people of the village, but yeah, I always looked up to them. So when you were going, were there any more one or two lads or girls in the village that used to go? Oh, do you only remember being there with the boys? Funny enough, I only remember being with the boys. Um, I don't remember many of the village boys going along either.

What did you do when you went to the Saulsbury's? Oh, cray. We used to play in the garden. I remember them having a garage put under the garden, built under the garden. Uh, that was Mr.

Soulsby being an architect, of course, um, used to play in a garden. They had a den down in the corner nearest to. Oh, the next door by passageway.

Remember if that was Mrs.

Titheridge? One of them lived at the big old house there next to the shop. Um, we used to play there and Richard was into.

Hamsters and uh.

Oh, stickle wax and.

Anything nature-ish, um, I mean, hamsters were something quite strange to me because, um, not many of us in that era had that kind of pets, you know, you just got one step above a rat, I think, um, not rabbits, you didn't keep rabbits, you kids in those days.

Well, I certainly didn't. No, we had dogs. My, my grandmother had dogs, golden golden lads, so, um. My uncle had ferrets about half a mile away. But no, Richard was into pets and um. Uh Nature in general, um, did you go down to the river fishing with him, not even a little.

I went along once. No, we, we used to go a little stream that runs up by the church outside the butcher shop that we used to go there getting watercress and sticklebacks and that's where we used to. Generally go were there steps going down to it, or did you just clamber down the climb down the bank, that's right. Water up to the knees because we weren't supposed to be, well, I wasn't supposed to be there, so Wellingtons weren't provided. But um, no, um, I never liked fishing. I went once. I went to watch fishermen down at. Nearly Lee Brink.

And um This fisherman caught something and threw it out on the bank to me and told me I could have it and I went to touch it and it joked.

And uh that was the end of my uh fishing from that point of view and also.

Just then sit and wait for the next one. I couldn't spend 2 hours sitting and watching a rod dipping up and down in the water.

That wasn't my kind of sport at all or entertainment, so I gave up fishing. The nearest I enjoyed getting to was watching Mr. Potnell row the fisherman from one side of the river to the other because he was the guinea and you used to see that happening. Yes, again, I shouldn't have been there. Did he? No, he was, I believe he was.

And this is slightly Maybe.

I believe he was either part, he worked for the Birmingham Angling Association or something like that or maybe even the why because that was his job. Do you know he couldn't swim. And he tipped his boat up and all in the river wide and nearly drowned, uh, but he used to take all the salmon fishermen up and down the the Wye and across to the whole lacy side.

Did he take other people other than the fishermen? Walkers maybe. Not that I recollect, but then he might have. I mean, I wasn't there at all times, of course, um, and Quite easily could have, uh, but he used to do his trips kind of, he wasn't on the river all day every day, but uh. And it wasn't something that I would have taken.

Such a great notice.

I knew that was what he did, but that was his work. So he was just going to work, um, sort of difficult to say, but quite likely that he did. Thinking of the river, do you know at that time that the Saulsbury's own Mansell's Ferry down there further on down, so you didn't ever go there with them.

So I remember Mansell ferry because my grandmother lived at Lee Brink before I, um, um, before she moved to Tampa and her husband moved to Tun cottage and several of the children were born in Lee Brink.

Um, my aunts and uncles love it, um, but I know myuncles very, yeah, quite well, um.

But I don't remember the connection with the Salisbury.

I could even have been just after I left, they owned it, and the boys were teenagers. That's right, yeah, well, as I say, I left at 18 because strangely enough though I said I hated fishing and all that, I became a fishmonger and I was went to work at Mac Fisheries in Hereford. They decided I could train as a manager and they sent me up to Kidderminster, thus contact with. The Midlands and that's where I left home. So, um, going back to your grandma then, was she actually born down at Libra I think.

I'm right in saying she was born at Bingham. Oh, it's somewhere over that way where she was from originally. At some point you lost an uncle or a cousin or somebody in the river there. Uncle Albert on his 18th birthday, right? I went uncle, yeah, 18th birthday it was a summer's day. Part of the history of the family.

This is a summer's day and he and his pals all decided to go down to the river as they did quite common place to swim and he was reputedly the best of the bunch as far as swimmers go and he dived in. Caught in the weeds and he never came up some day for my grandmother.

Yes, awful, yeah. How many cottages were there at Lee Brink at that time? I think 3. I think it was my grandmother lived right on the end one, the one that is most likely to fall in the river eventually.

Um, but it's been propped up the bank has been built up now, but they'll never stop it because it's a matter of erosion. That's right. That's right. It it eventually will one day be in. Yes, yes, and we used to go up in the woods and. I was always because of my uncle who drowned.

This is the probably the main reason why I was you're not to go down by the river, you're not, you know, um, fear, so I've never learned to swim. I'm frightened of water myself actually, um, which is a shame because I. I've had stepchildren and um love seeing them swim and do their bit, but it wasn't for me.

Going back to school again, um, uh, how much you enjoyed it and again really thinking of Mary Saulsbury, but I don't know this.

What is there a musical link at that young age? Well, Mary Soulsby was a good, probably excellent musician as well. Um There was no link between, she liked the fact that I happened to have along with a lad called Kenneth Coleman, Kenny Coleman in the village. We had Hereford. Cathedral Choir of voices, both of us very lucky.

Um, and Mr.

Cheadle, who was the vicar at the time. Put us in.

We went in for the Hereford Cathedral Choir. Both sadly failed because we both had colds on the day, and I must admit that I am over the moon that I failed. I would have hated to have been at the cathedral school, um, but so our connection was kind of. Classically voice wise, but.

Mrs.

Soulsby also appreciated the fact. That I think I started piano at about 4 years of age, just before I was 5. So she appreciated that I played the piano. Who taught you? I was taught in Hereford by a school teacher. I'll tell you a little anecdote about that in a moment if you like um. When I came out to live at my grandmother's, my youngest uncle was already being um.

Being trained in music by a music teacher called Mrs.

Kettle. And um in Hereford.

Uh And the piano had belonged to Crownhope Court.

And my uncle, the gardener, had purchased whilst he was in the RAF in the war, he had purchased that piano.

Specifically for his youngest brother to learn to play, uh, because it was going in the auctions as they had at the end because the Lechmeres I believe, had left court.

And the piano was in the parlour, as is normal, and the parlour was always closed with a just a latch.

And um I couldn't reach a latch.

I was too small, so it was safe. Anyway, this one day I was wandering backwards and forwards along the the passageway between the two rooms. And it suddenly noticed there was a light gap between the the door and the jam.

pulled the door and the latch hadn't been put on, so it was open.

So I crept into the parlour, managed to find my way, climb my way up on the stool because I was that small, believe it or not, I genuinely had to climb up on the stool, opened the piano and I was fining away on the piano.

And then I had that horrid feeling that you're there are eyes on you.

So, um, looked to the side of my grandmother was stood there, see her now wiping her hands on her penny.

And she just looked at me and said um.

Hm.

Well, if you're going to play the piano, you're going to play it properly. End of story. And within a very few weeks, um.

A girl in Mordeford who I went to school with.

Eventually Um, but a girl in Morleyford it was, um, the barrels, they, um, got.

They knew my mother and all contacts, you know, wheels within wheels and her school, her piano teacher agreed to take me on as another pupil, so I started and that was.

Miss Redcliffe.

Um, and that was Anne Barrel's Down to Doen Street.

That's it, 96. Did you? Oh, she was a lovely lady and her sister lived there.

She was a lovely lady, but she didn't improve my piano playing because I'm not a I'm not a piano player really unlike you. I used to watch her fingers, and they were all bent and curled, and she was as light as a fairy on her. Amazing. I loved Miss Redcliffe. And Anne and her sister, Anne's younger sister used to go as well. But I think it was only Anne who kept it up.

And then Miss Radcliffe became quite poorly. And so I think by the time I was 15, probably a little earlier, I went up to Edgar Knights again the top right at the top, almost by the town hall, and he was useless.

Um, probably brilliant, but that was his problem.

Um, Mr. Radcliffe taught you to play music. He taught you to pass exams. Didn't like that at all.

So I retired at 18.

But do you play now? I do indeed.

Good. Yeah, that's nice, isn't it? Do you belong to a band or rock and roll bands in Hereford and in the Midlands? Uh, and in Western Super Mare, then I joined when I came out of the RAF, I joined a big band in Weston Super Mare and I played in that for 25 years. Um, and then I went, not quite solo, and when it started, it got to an era where The cost of a big band was far too much for you, just your general weekend dance.

Um, I was going out as a 2 and a 3 piece. Um, Then I left Weston Super Mare and I've not played in any outfits.

In Lincoln or around that part, but I just played for purely if as and when I wanted to.

And this is a pianist. You're the piano player originally, yes, it's keyboards nowadays, of course, um, but I played accordion, guitar. Uh, I've tried trumpet when I was in the RAF.

used to play harmonica. Uh, and of course you can't forget the comb and paper, can you? But I was, I was one of these very for, but my, my youngest uncle was the same.

We were fortunate. It wasn't an instrument that if we wanted to play it, I think we could have, um, that, that again sounds ever so bigheaded and bragging, but it isn't it just happened. That's the way we were in that instance, yes, and both he and I, I can remember I broke my leg when I was. 14, coming 15.

And it happened that my uncle's little band.

Which was 2 accordions, a piano, and a set of drums.

Had been booked to play at Sufton Court.

Uh, outside Morterford to the last debutant's ball held at Sutton Court.

So when would that be? When were you 14, for goodness' sake? 559, right? And um, The pianist was taken poorly, the one who plays with my uncle's band.

So uncle just turned around and said, Bob.

You, you can play the piano for us.

All right, OK.

Well, I had done a few sessions in some of the local pubs here playing for the sing along on a Saturday night, so it wasn't too bad. And along I went and I ended up playing the piano and drinking one or two glasses of mead, which was very nice, as I recollect.

Um, and.

It snowed.

Whilst we were playing for this event.

It snowed And um the car of the day was the Ford 8. And, uh, both my uncles who were playing accordions, I was on the piano.

And the fellow Mr. Pocknell, his son from the thatched cottage was a King Shropshire Light Infantry drummer and clarinet player, brilliant. Um, he was on drums and we all had to drive home, but my uncle who had enjoyed the meat as much as I, uh, decided he was going to show me how to control a slide on the snow in a Ford 8, and I had my leg in plaster up on the windscreen.

Oh, they were, those were great days.

Uh fantastic. And uh yeah, that was the last debutant's ball. Held at Sutton Court.

And I went to school with the the daughter. She was at Ross Grammar School as well then. We've never heard that mentioned at all before, have we? No, I mean the debutant's ball.

I've never heard that before.

They used to have regular debutant balls at Hereford.

Um, Sutton, Bobby Herefords why didn't we get invited, man? And um it was quite, but it was just taken as commonplace.

And of course they stopped them. They just I think they probably were, yeah, of course that was the first and the only one because it was the last one that I went to. I'm sure my uncles must have. Have you any know anything about the daughter now is she you know can't think of her name offhand. I can see her now in my head. Um, darkish hair, curly hair. Well, when I say curly wavy curly, um. Anne Barrel would be bound to know her.

I hope not. She was younger than Anne because I think she was younger than me, um.

Right, that'd be James's sister then, wouldn't it? Major Herford's sister.

Yeah, well, Major Hereford when I was a bank was Major Bobby Hereford, you know, yeah, uh, but yes, it would be James's youngest sister, younger sister.

What was her name? Do you know what kind of recollect. I wonder where she lives now. I wouldn't know.

You were mentioned about you played at singalongs in the pubs.

Which pubs did you go to? Highland it was called in those days. That was where I started, uh, yes, yeah, I was 13. And I started down there and I was 2 and 6 for Saturday night. I played at the moon when Ted Simmons had the moon.

Uh, and then his son and daughter, uh, played for them too, and they rang it after Ted had died, I think was very poorly for a while.

Uh, where else have I played around here, the whole pole in town.

Um What about the anchor? Well, the anchor didn't have a piano.

Funnily enough, we've just been talking about that a couple of hours ago with my uncle and aunt who lived opposite it at Luxor, yeah, because Luxhall was a pub originally, um, and the anchor didn't have a piano.

It had sports rooms, um, the skittles, um, darts, cos, even billiards. Um, so they didn't have a piano. I don't think the moon's got a piano now, has it? I wouldn't know. No, probably not. It's quite darts. We have the piano just inside on the left as you went into the main bar black piano that was. What about the new one? Jeff Longman's day, they may have had a piano for a very short period of time.

I don't really recollect. I may have played there, but again, it would have been. A one off, um, unusually no skate was down that day. The Highland home as it was called, as I say, um.

And anyway, Jane, I think Jane could play, couldn't she? Jane Longman.

We've interviewed Jane Longman, here we are. I can't remember when she played.

I don't remember her saying I don't remember. So at school, did they have anything in the way of a band at school or anything? Not a primary school.

Um, when I went to grammar school, they, um, didn't, they had an orchestra, which I was never part of. Um, they had better classical pianists and I, um, I was more into modern music. And did you, did you play by ear as well, as well as being able to read it all. So when I was there, I can remember I used to, I had permission to play piano in the Um, school hall, assembly hall in lunchtime.

And I can remember the geography master coming in sooner, you will not play chopsticks.

So to really annoy him, Russ Conway bought out a complete record.

Based on chopsticks, so I went and bought the music because he told me if it wasn't written in music, you aren't going to play it.

So I bought the music, sat on it on the seat with these other lads around me, and I played it Russ Conway's.

And he, I knew he would come and he came storming in.

And it's gonna put me on detention and one thing and another and I said, well, what am I doing wrong? I told you and if you play it's got. And I opened the music and he and I never got on very well at all after that.

What was his subject, did you say? Geography geography.

Um, and the funny thing was that at least 2 of those pupils who used to sit down, sit around me and listen, they became a band called Mot the Hoople.

Um, well, they were, they were juniors at Ross Grammar School then.

So, uh, that's a great gift to play by you.

Yeah, make sure it solo. That wasn't a drink.

No, no, that's, that makes the back of your head ache.

Now I've never been a drinker actually.

It's the one thing never, it isn't that it doesn't appeal to me. It's just never. You don't bowl was literally it and yet I played in a pub for.

I played up around the Midlands. I did pubs all over. Um, were you playing by yourself then? 00 yeah, you're the pianist in the pub. That's right, the pianist, the man never have a piano, the green man? I never played in. There was in the. The dance hall, the ballroom at the back. So I never really played that. Um, I've played in Malta. In a club in Malta when I was in the RAF, um, the guy who owned the club said he was going away for a month's holiday, um, his, his name, funny enough, was Bobby. And uh he asked, we used to get on very well.

And he asked me if I'd fill in for him while he was away because he played the piano in his own bar.

So I played in Malta. Uh, tremendous number of places all over it, really.

Um, how long were you? How long were you in the rap? Only 4 years, um. I think they'd had enough of me, they wouldn't let me sign on.

Now the rules had changed at the time.

I didn't go in until I was 23. And I was 27. Uh, is that right? 23, 4, yeah, that's right, um, and.

I was about due to sign on actually, I went up to headquarters to sign on and they just changed the rules that said.

They would, it was all done on forward planning and the rank that I held at the time, they just said to me, well, we can't sign on, we've got enough of yours.

And um that was it. End of story. I couldn't sign on. Pity really because I would have stayed in the RAF I think I enjoyed that as well. You weren't in a band in the in the rap.

Were you? No, I used to play pubs again. All right. Weston Super Mare got the pleasure of my company. Why were you there? Yes, I was at RAF locking.

That's how it's the RAF that made me actually go back to Lincoln to live for a while because that was my square bashing was done in uh in Lincoln then my actual um.

Work training was done at RAF locking.

Then they, I went to Malta for 12 months, came back from my second course, which was again at RAF locking. Suddenly couldn't sign on, so I was demobbed at locking, so I thought I to hell with her I'll get married.

Something like that.

What was your train then they trained you in.

I was electronics communications engineer. Sounds very posh.

It means I just found a modern way of wasting time.

You must have been doing something for them somewhere.

It's was it base at your RF base orientated it was mostly to do with aeroplanes. Yes, I was, but it was to do with the actual getting them off the ground. I was traffic control based. Um, and though I was electronics maintenance, we did the uh basic whatever electronics needed repair for the navy as well in Malta.

You covered the whole services. Um, but, um, yeah, that was my, that was what they very kindly trained me in. And that was really my main work when I came out and what I did for the rest of my life was electronics until I retired. So how much of that was in Hereford? No, I moved after moving to Western Super Mare. Um, I did 30 years in Western Super Mare.

Moved to Wakefield for 6 months.

Uh, then across to Lincoln, stayed there for 1011 years.

And then back to Hereford.

Uh, about 4 years ago.

Um, Bob, going back to school again.

I hope not.

We haven't left yet. What else do you remember about, um, being young in Fanghope or at school or? Um, I don't know if you've heard of or know of, but there was a certain, she was a young woman in those days, although we looked on her as being quite an adult.

Her name was Joyce Wallace. Lived fun enough in the house batting onto the Salisbury's house.

Now Joyce was very keen and almost every year she either put on a concert or something in the village hall.

Every year, Joyce. And it used to be about, I can't remember the time of the year now. I can remember her coming and knocking on the door. Talking to my, my mum, um.

Will Bob play the piano for us in the concert.

So it was uh up on the stage and do a little bit, but Joyce used to do some fantastic concerts and I don't know.

I was sad when the old um memorial hall was pulled down, primarily because. The new one didn't have a stage. And to me Without a stage, what have you got, you know, but we do have one now. Not, not permanent. It's you can erect it and pack it away and it is not good because I believe. You have to have a stage.

It's, uh, yes, that's right. Did Joyce Wallace perform herself? Was she a performer? What would you call her of the day, um.

Not an entrepreneur.

What did he call the people who set up these impresario almost probably and she was brilliant at it. Um, she really did a good job. Um, she gave you, because I mean I was again I was quite young, I can't remember. Being in a concert where she said to me, right, I want you to play this. And it was something like the Happy wanderer, I think. And she said, when you get to the second chorus, shout out all together. I was about 6 or 7.

Did you do that? Oh, I think I got through it, managed it, yeah, but it wasn't my way of doing it really, but it was, it brought it fantastic.

It really was. Who else was performing there as well as you on these concerts? Can you remember any of the other people? They were recycled, there was one called. He had a, a terrible uh nickname. His name was Tody something. Toady something, he wasn't somebody like Jenkins or someone like that, and he, he could sing.

He was a male singer. Um, you know, I don't really remember much about it because it was a Used to be in the because Fanhope um hall had proper changing rooms, male and female as well, um, which was quite upmarket really, um. So we were kind of kept separate.

I'm trying to think what else I think they were tap dancing, I remember people doing um. I would have thought it would have been kind of um variety of the day, uh, probably.

Juggling and all sorts of things, plenty of singing, probably re recitals of uh verse, poetry, um.

But a very good range and the show would probably be 2 hours, 1.5 to 2 hours, you know, with an interval in between, can't remember who was the ice cream lady though, um.

Oh, very good.

But yeah, and she used to put on on the Harvest show. used to love it.

Joyce is knocking on the door. Joyce is knocking on the door and uh that usually meant we were going to have a concert, so that was nice. Now were you churchgoers or did you have anything to do with the church? Um, well, Mr.

Chigwells to blame for this, I'm afraid. He was, uh, no, he was a nice man, a really great guy, um. He, he was a down to earth vicar, which I think in that day was probably a bit unusual.

I think they were all supposed to be aloof, but no, Chiggy was a tiggy, that's what we called him, was um a very nice guy, um, and a pal of mine at school who from Common Hill, Coleman, Kenny Coleman, and he and I were both blessed with. Pretty good travel voices.

And so Chiggy got us into the Fanhope church choir a bit smartly and even actually tried to get us into the, as I think I was saying earlier, um tried to get us into the cathedral choir, but Kenny and I had a cold each on the day we were sharing as usual and um. We both failed to get in by, I think it was about 1 or 2 notes, 1 or 1.5 notes, something like that.

But when we heard of um Saturday mornings being in church and uh.

2 or 3 nights a week and all the rest of it, Kenny and I came away from there with the biggest grins we ever had on our faces.

And yet when I passed my 11 plus to go to uh secondary, the funny strange thing was, I was offered a choice of either.

Hereford High School for boys. Hereford Cathedral School, Ledbury Grammar School, Ross Grammar School.

We took Ross because the bus was best. Practical.

Yeah, that's right. So I went to Ross Grammar School, which again, uh, was the right thing to do if it worked with the system.

Yeah, that's right. So you're singing, you sang in church in until I was about. My voice never broke.

It drifted. Um, I just.

I sang in front of the church's treble. I actually sang as alto.

Mrs. Sasby was an alto and she had a beautiful alto voice too, yeah, yeah. Um, and I sang.

At an Alto And I slipped the first tenner.

And then I actually left the choir.

Um, for reasons which none of us would want in their phone or magazines or anything, but, um, not my fault, um, but not best advertised.

So it, it just, and it fitted in with my age at the time because I've been invited to go on a trip. With a rock and roll band from Hereford.

They were going to Wimbledon to a big show they were doing. Uh, they came 2nd.

Well done, lads. And, um, on the way back, the chap who would got me involved in going with them because I wasn't really a rock and roll player either. I knew no rock and roll. The manager of the band was saying they needed to make changes, they needed to do this and this.

I always say he was silly, you know, I can't even remember his name here.

I picture him, but he told the manager. Bob plays the piano, and next thing I knew I was in a rock and roll band, so I easily led.

Yeah.

Um, and the only thing I could play for their practise when I went for my audition with the rock and roll band, the only thing I could play was Winifred Atwell's black and white round.

I didn't know any rock and roll at all.

I took weeks learning two new tunes every week and miming to the rest on stage. Amazing.

But um. Yeah, it was um Then, as I say, I, I left the quote, I gotta be honest and say I'm not.

Heavy church person myself, um.

I'm quite happy for other people to believe the way they believe things.

Um I'm, I don't like people telling me how I should or shouldn't believe things, and I think if I'm honest, nobody ever does.

They certainly don't get away with it, um. But It was brilliant actually.

Church. The music side of church, um.

Yeah, the The the regularity, the um.

The discipline of it, yes, the discipline of it was good.

And that was jiggy. Oh yes, yeah, and he did was he choir master as well? For a short while, um, I'm trying to think, Mrs. Biggs used to play the organ. No no chairs, uh, when I can't remember who was our actual full-time church organist. I can remember when Mr. Sell came and that was really what caused me to leave, um, Mr. Sell, not him himself, but the choirmaster and what you went through that, um, but no, Ty was, um, he just had a The, the right attitude about him, you know, you didn't feel as though you were being forced to go with the villagers. That's right, yeah, yeah, he was sympathy and always a smile on his face, but that's I remember we always had a smile on his face. Or did you belong to scouts or anything in the village? Now there's a story, um. Um, I, what I will just say about churches, I, I said I was glad I didn't go to the cathedral school because of all the church involvement.

I used to go to. Sunday morning church.

I used to go to even song.

We used to have choir practise, I believe it was a Thursday night.

Still is, is it? It's a 14.5 you remembering, um, choir practise on a Thursday night. I actually tried bell ringing but felt I was too small and too light, which is the, that's right, Mr. Biggs ringing 3 together. And uh one leg used to he used to stand on one leg and ring 3 amazing.

Um, that's Denzel's father. Oh yes, Richard Dick, Dick, right, and um. I forgotten where I was going there, um, cheeky, um.

Oh yes, with in amongst that we also went to Sunday school down Ferry Lane at the chapel.

I think it was a Baptist chapel on it I don't think it was Methodist because that one's I think the old lady. It's the Baptist. No, it was the Baptist chapel. This is Parry. Mrs. Prince and Miss Parry, two sisters, I believe, um. But yeah, so Sunday was still quite a full day.

The best bit about it was coming home on the autumn days and finding uncles reading the paper in the in the living room and the fire went as the flames come out of the coal, a big, we had a big open range twice as large as yours there and it was the old fashioned range and the fire used to be beautiful to come in and see the fire, you know, yeah, lovely memories. Going back to your scouts, um, I actually asked if I could join the scouts.

I can remember asking my family, could I join the Scouts? Why? I don't know, uh, for what reason really, but I was quite abruptly told that no. I think it was perhaps because I had two younger sisters by then, um. They Didn't really get the chance to do much and I was already, you know, um, I was a piano lessons I was I was getting just about all of everything, which would have been a bit unfair.

So the scouts know that my sisters eventually got allowed to go to Bragny's. Um, how much they liked it I don't know because I don't think they ever became scouts because I think the scouts, the guides, I think the guides went off in, I don't know. Oh, Mrs. So used to take the guides. You don't remember that.

No, I don't remember. Sonny used to belong.

Yes, I know Jenny Jane Longman and Grant. Mrs.

Grant's Tom Grants and Warner or Betty would because her mom and dad, you know, yeah, that's right, but I can remember going out when Dave. Chen, no, what's his name, Joy's brother.

Brian Brian, yeah, it wasn't him after all.

No, Cryan Chamberlain was a fireman. Uh, no, David Salter. Do you remember the salers living at Ringfield? No, is that the one who ended up at Francis? That's it.

Well, the saldiers were there before the Bigs. The big lived at Ringfield, didn't they? Yes, yeah, well, before them, the salterers lived there and they had.

David, Elizabeth, Louise, and Vicky, Vicky, or when she started primary school, I fell in love with her straight away. She was gorgeous. She was a tiny little girl. She was the picture book girl, tight curly hair, natural. 4, yeah, I fell in love with her.

She didn't cast an eye at me. It's hard, isn't it? But David was in the Boy Scouts. And he was kind of chief scout next to Skip who was Mr.

Warnell but a Warnell, I can't remember his own name. And uh they used to play things called wide games which basically was going out to nature walks and nature runs and and I just got fed up this one Tuesday as I remember. I decided I was gonna join the scouts.

So, no scouts uniform because that would give it away to my family.

So I went along to the scouts. And I was actually in the scouts for a whole fortnight. Before it came to an end.

But the thing that comes to mind is I remember. We were all gone out as a troop and we were going up Fanhope Court Estate Ecor Drive, and of course in Fanhope Court you've got loads of pretty beautiful trees, um, and I can remember Skip saying to the lads, right lads, what tree is this? And two or three of us quickly latched on our cedar. Yes, right, yes, but what kind of see you doing? And Dave salter quick as a flash.

I see her walking down the road. And uh isn't it funny how tiny things that stick in your mind.

Never forgotten it. But yeah, I had a fortnight in the scouts and then I had to make do with all the rest of everything else I had busy life.

It was quite busy, yeah, but, um, I still had plenty of time for play. Um, um, did you go up in the woods and things then? We used to go up in the quarry. I wasn't supposed to be in the quarry, but because friends Charlie Norman, Dave Cotterell, and some of the girls, uh, Betty used to go Watts girls, yes, yeah, yeah, I knew the Watts girls well, and, uh, um, Dave. Davis, Ion Davis, who was nothing to do with our family.

They were different Davises and the Taylors, Betty, Sue, Johnny, Billy, all of those, I knew all of those. We've interviewed Bill and um. I still keep in touch with Sue.

She's a best friend of Betty, you see in Australia.

Yes, that's right, that's nice. In fact, I keep more in touch with people from via Australia than I do with a direct link. It seems to you Skype them, don't you? I do indeed, yes, it's an amazing grapevine.

It works. It's excellent. That's lovely, isn't it? But um. Yeah, there are so many people that I would.

Hang on, I'm getting a lump now.

I do genuinely owe a great deal of gratitude.

Why, why do you say you owe them a great deal of gratitude? They've helped me to have a life.

Just by being there.

I couldn't have a life on my own childhood friends. So much so that after being away for I came back at 65.

No, I didn't tell him no at 60.

Yeah it would be 3 years. I came back at 65 and I left. Hereford boy, 1815.

So close on 50 years being away.

And when I walked into the village hall, I'm gonna go again.

When I walked into the village hall.

Men and women.

Looked like they were pleased to come and welcome me.

That's good. It was like. It's a special village thing that I think yeah, amazing phenomenal.

I do get lumps in the throat when I think about it. That's lovely.

That's good.

Right, so think then.

Let's move to Norrish and you come back into Herefordshire, and you do come back to the village very often. What do you think about the village this many years later? It will always beanhope, my home, and I can tell you also that Betty, who is actually a bit of a wanderer, the one in Australia, she looks on it as her home too. Um, and I think everyone. Of our age group still believes thaterno will always be home no matter where we've been and what we've done. However, I have to say I don't like modern er.

I wanted to move back here when I was still living away, um.

And I tried to because my grandmother had had one of the um flats. And I've a an ex brother-in-law now who lives in one of the bungalows, I believe.

Um, and my cousin lived in one of the bungalows, so I knew that the facilities were pretty damn good, you know.

But I didn't get it.

Um, and I took one that was in Sutton Saint Nicholas, which again is a smashing little village, but unlike Founhope it has absolutely nothing except a pub that, you know, it really has no activity, it's sad and I started to get bored there.

But the trouble with found Hope is. I I'm a genuine Died in the war found opium.

Um, brought up in the ways of my grandmother, not my mother, but in the ways of my grandmother, so I'm kind of.

I don't like to think of it as old fashioned, but it, I suppose it is when it comes down to it.

Um, It's just grown too big, it's lost a lot of the, when I lived in Fannhope, as a kiddie, this is, I knew every name in the village, where they lived. I knew everyone in Woolhope.

I knew everyone in Mordeford. I knew everyone in Woolhope. If you asked me to direct you to Brockhampton, I meant if you asked me to direct you, I could direct you all anywhere up on Common Hill, any of the houses to precisely the address, and I was 7 or 8. The characters of all those villages, which it had lots of them.

But those were the characters that gave the villages the character.

It isn't there now because it's too modern. Today's Farenho is a fast moving fan hope.

Um, it's a fan hope of people who are only here to sleep. Um, Um, So society has changed, but, and that's got to happen.

It can't be any other way, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. And that's the problem. I am still thinking of Fan Hope as I knew it 50 years ago. I'm still wanting to live as Fanhope 50 years ago. Total impossible dream. I've already done it once, so why should I be greedy and want to do it again? Um, I remember Fanhope having Three proper shops as well as the butchers, um, 3 proper pubs, um, a blacksmith who worked, a carpenter, a stonemasons, a funeral directors, a post office. We had to all in the village, and there were other trades that I didn't know. Um, whereas now what have we got? We've still got a blacksmith, thanks to George.

There's still a post office, but it's not a post office, it's a corner of the.

Small supermarket, isn't it, which belongs to my family, my cousins, um, I wish them well with their business, but it doesn't have the character that Harry Lawler's little shop.

Oh Mr. Lawler, can I have an ice cream please, Mary, come and get roll ice cream. He was a cocky, but, uh, um, and then a Mr.

and Mrs. Hancorn. Bob, we need a loaf of bread and get me a small hovi as well up to Mister Hancorn run in through the door.

Hello, Mrs. Hancorn. Hello, Bob, Bobby, she used to call me. What can I get you? Gran would like so and so, so and so, right. And I suppose you'd like a dog biscuit. Yes, please, dip my hand into the chest, the tea chest they used to have their dog biscuits in. Dip my hand into the tea chest and come out with a spin of sha, I'd be a chuff to run on me chewing the dog biscuit, um. If anyone, if any of my step grandchildren saw that now.

No stepchildren, sorry, um, they'd be horrified to think that I picked up a dog and eaten it, but I used to go onto the farm and They had it was called cow cake when they were milking the cattle and it was. He'd had anise seed in it phenomenal.

I used to go grab one of those out of the bag and see one of those, yes, which farm would you be down at Rudge. That was what Harry's, yeah. Otherwise I'd be.

If I could, which wasn't too often, uh, I'd be at the mill farm.

And Usually on my own, which really was out because of the river, but most of the time agriculturally I spent with Connie Townsend.

That's another one we've interviewed.

She was smashing with Connie, but she's changed a lot now.

She's now her husband's dead, she's struggling at the moment. Um, we have arranged that when she's feeling a little better, I'm going to see her because I haven't seen Connie since I played with her last. In, uh, when they were along the road and uh. My mom, whenever I was missing.

The first place they went was over to Harry Townsend's. Where's Connie? Is Connie at home? Um, we used to be up on the bailey machines on the tractors. Funnily enough, my very first proper job, no, sorry, my second. My first one was Saturday boy with Connie, who was Saturday girl at Sam Bows, which was Hankhorns. Hm So, um.

I used to go along there and my second job was actually cleaning the poultry for uh Harry Townsend and look after his chickens for him on a Saturday.

But Connie and I were pretty good friends.

I think that's the thing that I was trying to put in when you asked me about feelings of the village.

Everyone was a brother or sister in those days. Everyone was an uncle or an aunt. Now, you're not. Life doesn't allow you to work that way now, um, which is a shame, but then again.

But you've had very happy times then, haven't you? Oh yes, I mean, very happy.

The few years because what's 18 years really, um, out of 68, the few years that I had here so indelible that I've been able to live the other 50 happily in those thoughts. That's lovely.

Both of my wives. They know far up as well as I do because I wouldn't let them get away with not knowing.

Um, my stepchildren.

All 5 of them They've all been to Fanhope, they've all spent time in Fanhope, they've met all my family and.

Yeah, they, it's very good.

And I still have family in Fanoak so I still got a proper bond, um. And I, yeah, I think, I think the whole.

The whole system really, um.

It's moving at a pace which is too much for me. But It's got to be right because when you look, when I look at Hereford and I see what an abomination and mess that they made of Hereford City, which I used to think was the ultimate.

When I see that, I think. Fano hasn't got a problem.

No, no.

Right, well, have you anything else you'd like to tell us before we got about 5 minutes left? I should probably think of loads more when I was, and what I'm going to do if you don't mind. I shall take notes of myself to to remind me and then sometime when we're having an event at the hall, I'll come along and say to you, oh, did you know? And then you can say, yes, thank you, we do, we don't need you.

Yeah, well these newhaopians, you see, they're not like the old ones.

I have one particular. Relative who I believe is on your fan of history group.

Um, And Really I'll tell you after, um, but I have several relatives who are people who get involved, yes, and they've kind of moved into Fanghope enough for them to think that they're, uh, original Fanhopeians, but they're not quite, takes a little more than that. Right, well, we thank you very much indeed, indeed for giving up your time and for coming and entertaining us really this afternoon. I enjoyed.

So you should.

So on behalf of the local history group, we all call this to a close and thank you again. Thank you both.