My Mother's Diaries
1951 at Hiltonbury Farm
1951 brings another eventful year to Hiltonbury Farm, with difficult weather, changes to the farm and the continuing growth of the pedigree Jersey herd. Through illness, family celebrations, school terms, village gatherings and the changing seasons, Mother faithfully records the work and companionship of everyday life. The cows still need milking, the poultry tending and the household running, while children, relatives and friends ensure that the farmhouse is rarely quiet.
The new year began beneath a thick covering of snow at Hiltonbury Farm. Chicken arks had to be dug out, journeys became difficult, and the children enjoyed tobogganing on the Camel Hump. While John bought a new seed drill and ordered a new car, illness spread through the family, but washing, ironing, football, dancing and farm work continued. February brought Jennifer’s birthday, cinema visits and hundreds of snowdrops, which were picked and tied into bunches, with some placed on Grandfather’s grave. There was also a happy weekend in Beaconsfield and a memorable evening at the N.F.U. Ball, where Mother unexpectedly won a pig.
January & February 1951
March and April brought weeks of relentless rain, leaving Hiltonbury’s fields waterlogged and preventing almost all work on the land. There were family worries too, as Betty was taken to hospital with appendicitis and Mother underwent an operation. Happier news followed with their recoveries and the arrival of Betty’s baby boy, Timothy. Around the farm, two Jersey heifers calved in one night, Sooty produced four kittens and two new pedigree cows joined the growing herd. Andrew returned from St Probus for the holidays and celebrated his birthday with a crowded farmhouse party, while Jennifer won second place at the Ampfield Gymkhana and passed her riding test. At last the weather improved, allowing John to finish threshing and drill the oats as spring finally returned to Hiltonbury.
March & April 1951
May & June 1951
May and June brought new life and the beginning of haymaking to Hiltonbury Farm. Fifty cockerel chicks arrived, while eleven of Jennifer’s twelve duck eggs hatched beneath a broody hen. Mother balanced their care with washing, ironing, gardening and weeks of rehearsals for the children’s dancing displays. The family listened to the opening of the Festival of Britain on the wireless, celebrated Janet’s birthday and proudly learnt that Andrew was top of his form at St Probus. John began cutting, turning and carting hay and lucerne from Flexford, despite cold winds, sudden rain and troublesome machinery. By the end of June, twenty-five tons of hay had been baled—valuable winter feed secured through long days of hard work whenever the weather allowed.
July & August 1951
July and August brought hot weather, family outings and the demanding work of harvest to Hiltonbury Farm. While Mother picked strawberries, raspberries, peas and blackcurrants, the kitchen became busy with jam-making, bottling and preserving. There were tennis matches, picnics, sports days and a visit to the circus, while Andrew proudly won the wheelbarrow race at school. By late July, John had begun cutting the first oats at Flexford, and harvesting soon dominated life on the farm. Amid the activity came sadness when Auntie Ag died and Emblem, a valued Jersey cow, was lost after developing milk fever. Despite uncertain weather, broken machinery and long working days, neighbours and friends helped gather the oats, rye and wheat. At last, by the end of August, the threshing was finished and Harvest 1951 was safely home.
September & October 1951
September and October brought heavy rain, golden autumn days and important changes at Hiltonbury Farm. A new poultry house was completed, and the young pullets settled in so well that sixty-eight eggs were collected in one day. The children enjoyed memorable outings by steamer to see the great liner Queen Elizabeth and across to Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Mother bottled fruit, made jam, preserved beans, painted windows and prepared the children for school. She also visited the Festival of Britain, returning home in the early hours after a wonderful day in London. On the farm, potatoes were lifted, winter oats drilled and new calves and heifers arrived. The season ended proudly at the London Dairy Show, where Norman won the prestigious Buckhurst Trophy on Election Day.
November & December 1951
November and December brought relentless rain, Christmas preparations and a lively end to 1951 at Hiltonbury Farm. Mother sewed clothes for the children, made Christmas puddings and cakes, wrapped presents and welcomed a constant stream of friends and neighbours. Andrew returned from St Probus and caused great amusement by appearing as Princess Marina in the school concert. On the farm, John bought a new Jersey bull, while the productive young pullets laid an extraordinary 128 eggs in one day. Christmas brought particularly hard work, with around thirty cockerels plucked, cleaned and prepared for sale. After church on Christmas Day, the family gathered at Beechcroft, while Boxing Day brought the Romsey meet, with Jennifer proudly riding Smokey. The year ended with sad news of Mrs Watson’s death, followed by a cheerful New Year’s Eve Ball with friends.