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Derbyshire farmer Fred Hayles was among the first students to be accepted by Broomfield agricultural college when it was set up 60 years ago, but he still clearly recalls his time there. Pat Parkin reports.

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When farmer’s son Fred Sayles left Alfreton High School in the late 1940s, he was delighted to be one of the first of seven Derbyshire teenagers to be accepted, alongside older ex-servicemen, to train for a career in agriculture.

The newly-created Derbyshire Farm Institute had just been established at Broomfield Hall, which had been acquired by the county council from the well-known Crompton family of Morley.

Derbyshire was among the first local authorities in Britain to set up an agricultural college. The first principal was the vastly experienced Mr Bond (affectionately known by students as JR).

Though it is 60 years since he was a student there, Fred Sayles, 77, who is still farming at Crich, remembers it well.

“The servicemen were older and much more streetwise than we lads and, I can tell you, that was an education in itself for us. They certainly knew their way around and we had some fun and games with them.”

The soldiers lived in at the college while the school-leavers took “digs” in the surrounding area. Lectures were in the mornings, followed by practical classes in the afternoons. The students trained on neighbouring farms, going as far afield as Church Broughton and Beeley, and topics studied included dealing with milk fever in cows and the castration of pigs.

“When we went to the farms, we would travel in old Army lorries, which could be a frightening experience, and sometimes we did some silly things. One day, I remember, it was decided to teach the driver a lesson for the way he had been driving and so, when we approached a corner, we all jumped to one side of the lorry and hung on to the top rail.

“The lorry almost turned over. We were not the only ones to be scared to death that day.”

Another memorable visit was when they were taken to Colwick Sugar Beet Factory. As they were leaving, all the students stuffed their pockets with lumps of sugar.

“It was a precious commodity in those days as sugar was still on ration,” said Fred.

Fred particularly remembers lecturer Harry Mee and the occasion when he was teaching the students to lay hedges and asked about a missing ex-serviceman.

“Someone said: ‘He’s gone to Derby for a load of post-holes’. The answer seemed to satisfy Harry until later in the afternoon, when the penny obviously dropped and he asked, ‘What did you say?’ We had a good laugh about that,” said Fred.

He enjoyed his year at the college before he returned to work with his father at Hilltop Farm, which is now run by Fred’s younger brother, Brian.

Fred has the neighbouring Edge Farm, at Crich, where he still works. Farming continues to run in his family. His two sons are farmers and his two daughters are both married to farmers: Heather Neville has a milking farm at Ripley and Mary Thompson is in Devon, where she and her husband run a free-range and organic egg farm.

Said Fred’s wife, Christine Clayton, a farmer’s daughter, whom he met at Belper Young Farmers’ Club: “Fred still works hard on the farm and, to this day, he still quotes Mr Bond and the things he was taught at the institute.”

The Government’s idea for an Institute of Agricultural Education in every county was necessary because food supplies had been depleted during the war and, though the Allies were the victors, food was still strictly rationed in the late 40s and early50s.

Since it opened in 1948, thousands of young men and women have passed through the college. Over the years, it has been greatly expanded and the curriculum has moved on from animal and poultry care, hedge-laying and milking to include courses for all types of linked subjects like floristry, dog-grooming, horticultural and agricultural engineering, as well as the management of equestrian centres and golf courses.

Betty Fletcher, of Smalley, was the college secretary for 41 years. She remembers when she joined the staff the only piece of office equipment was an old battered Underwood typewriter and she had to travel to Derby to get the bare necessities to carry out key work.

Her office was in the former butler’s bedroom and it had iron bars at the window because it was where the family, who used to live there, had kept their silver in a large wall safe.

Because of food rationing, all the students had to take in their ration cards so that the appropriate coupons could be cut out and sent to the Ministry of Food.

In those early days, there was a great sense of community and a friendly family atmosphere was encouraged by the resident matron, Mrs Orme.

Betty went on to become chief administrative officer and, in 1989, was awarded an MBE for services to agricultural education.

“I retired at the end of 1989 and have always felt proud to be associated with Broomfield and thoroughly enjoyed my days there,” she said.

Bill Jones, of Coxbench, was both a student and a lecturer at the college and remembers a strict regime when he was young.

“We did stock duties every three weeks, which included milking on three farms or working on the pig unit. All the duties started at 6 am, including the weekends.”

Public houses were out of bounds and, once, when he was caught visiting one, he was fined five shillings (25p) together with three other students.

After a time in industry and further studies, Bill returned as a lecturer in agriculture, in 1973, and worked there for 20 years until he retired.

He recently visited New Zealand, where he caught up with Dick Morton, formerly of Allestree, who was a fellow student.

Tony Lintott, of Darley Abbey, remembers being bitterly disappointed when the time came for him to leave and go out and get a job.

“I missed the outdoor life and the company,” he said.

He recalls dancing classes at Derby Assembly Rooms “when we had the chance to hold a girl for a while or watch the lucky ones who seemed to magnetically attract the opposite sex”. He became a salesman for an agricultural engineer but his dream of taking over a small farm never materialised.

“Still, I had friends with farms and close links to farming and, even today, 47 years on, I still visit and talk to them with the pride of an insider, of sorts. It is a very changed industry today and I have some concern that even the strongest of today’s farmers are suffering and probably quitting the industry.”

Broomfield eventually became Derbyshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture, went independent and then, in 2003, became part of Derby College.

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