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CORNHILL SOCIAL HISTORY PROJECT
Agriculture

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Working on the Farm


Farm machinery about 1910. The lettering reads “Garrett.Leiston”
Richard Garrett and Sons of Leiston Works, near Ipswich,
manufacturer of agricultural machinery, steam engines and trolley buses.


Early 1900s?


Traction engine on the land behind the present village hall - view to the south.


Ploughing with horse power. Adam Fair may be at the plough.


Massey-Harris combine at Wark 1948


Caterpillar Crawler, used for ploughing, at Wark 1949


Tea break (1940s?) From left to right - Dickie Coltherd, Margaret Armstrong and Jean Johnston.


The first day of harvest at Wark Farm 20th July 1959
Men “stooking” oats that had been cut with a Binder
Left, John Culbertson. Also in the photo are Jimmy Swanson, Bob Galbraith and Abe Galbraith


Combines in Wark, 1968


From a newspaper, 1968
“RESCUERS TOIL FOR HOUR TO RESCUE MAN
TRAPPED IN 25 TONS OF MOVING GRAIN”


Constable William Fisher of Cornhill, trapped in a grain store near Cornhill
yesterday morning, chats to firemen from Berwick after his rescue.
left to right - Leading Fireman K Shireff, Fireman O. Miller,
Fireman C. Turner, William Fisher and Fireman R Hills

“In the humid confines of a farm grain store just over half a mile from Cornhill, firemen and farm-workers toiled for nearly an hour yesterday to free a trapped off-duty police constable who was in grave danger of suffocation.
As the rescuers fought with buckets, spades and an electrically-powered grain lift to shift the ever-moving barley away from Constable William Fisher’s nose and chest, Dr. D. J. Sproule of Coldstream, assisted by ambulance-men from Coldstream and Kelso, administered oxygen from a portable supply to help the trapped man’s breathing.


Constable William Fisher of Cornhill looks up towards the daylight as rescuers strive to free him from
25 tons of grain. Shortly before this picture was taken, all that could be seen of Mr. Fisher
was his forehead as he struggled to keep his nose above the level of the grain

Gradually the grain, there was 25 tons in all, was scraped, shovelled and hoisted away from around 41 year-old P.c. Fisher, with the result he was eventually pulled clear and assisted out into the open air. After he had taken several long deep breaths, Mr. Fisher climbed into an ambulance standing nearby where he was examined by Dr. Sproule. Within a minute, the doctor was able to report P.c. Fisher was none the worse for his experience.
Dr. Sproule explained that oxygen had been given to the trapped man until the grain was below the level of his chest. This was to aid his breathing which had been impaired by the weight of grain pressing on to him.
A spokesman for the two fire brigades on the spot (from Berwick and Coldstream), members of which were praised by Dr Sproule for their unstinting effort during the emergency, revealed that throughout the operation, there was an ever-present danger of more grain falling onto Constable Fisher.
Mr. Michael Beveridge (30), a farm-worker at Campfield where the accident occurred was present when P.c. Fisher fell. Mr. Beveridge, a local man who has been 14 years at Campfield, said that Mr. Fisher was on the top side when he slipped. He cried out as he fell. “Before going for help,” Mr. Beveridge went on, “I tied a rope around Bill’s chest to prevent him slipping any further. His face was above the load of grain.”
Chatting to his rescuers afterwards, Constable Fisher recounted exactly what had happened. “I came to help out here on my day off because the farm is short-staffed,” he said. “An augar spiral lift had cleared the bottom of the store, but the barley was not falling through. I went forward to poke it with a stick and I fell through as the grain dropped. After landing upright, I found that only by tilting my head back could I keep my nose above the grain. If I had gone down another couple of inches, I would really have been in trouble.”
Campfield is farmed by Mrs. P.S. Wight.”

The following letter was sent to Mr. Beveridge in November 1968, from the Assistant Chief Constable


Ransomes combine harvesting in Wark, 1974


International tractor and baler sold by Rutherford of Cornhill in 1976
Photo July 2023 at the Cornhill on Tweed Centre (former First School)in the capable hands of Lewis.


as above


as above


Packman “tattie” planter at Wark (1970s?)
Bert Johnston was probably driving the tractor pulling the machine.
left to right - Jean Johnston, Dickie Dunn and Margaret Armstrong filling the cups with potatoes
Planting usually took place in late March early April.


De-stoning the field ready for tattie (potato) planting, 21st April 2020
Farming continued despite the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown


Combines in the Cornhill area, 2013

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