大象传媒

This story was submitted by Alan Welsh, a Radio Cumbria volunteer, on behalf of Roland (Ronnie) Thompson and has been added to the site with his permission.

During the war, Ronnie worked on several farms in north Cumbria. During his stay at Irthington Farm, he remembers bombers landing day and night at the newly built airfield next to the farm.

The farmer was told what to produce by the Government: potatoes, corn and barley. Ronnie鈥檚 work at Irthington Farm was helped by about a dozen or so German POWs who were transported daily from a camp near Brampton. He was also helped by a similar number of ladies from the Land Army; Ronnie reckons the Land Army ladies were more productive workers.

At this time, there were biannual 鈥渉iring days鈥� at Carlisle. This was where farmers recruited help and farm workers sought jobs. Ronnie was involved in several 鈥渉irings鈥� during the war. These took place at Carlisle Market Cross in front of the Town Hall in the city centre. The farmers would pass through the crowd asking questions including how much pay each man wanted. When a deal was struck, the farmer would place a shilling (5p) in the pocket of the farm worker to seal the deal. This was known as a 鈥測earl鈥�. Ronnie says it was easy to tell who was a farmer as they were much better dressed!

After one 鈥渉iring day鈥�, Ronnie moved to a farm at Kirkcambeck, also near Brampton in north Cumbria. Ronnie remembers being in the farmhouse early one morning when, just before he was about leave to start work, there was the loudest bang he has ever heard; so loud that the windows in the farmhouse rattled. Ronnie and several others rushed outside to see what had happened and saw a German bomber being chased by British fighter planes.

When they went out to the road that ran next to the farm, they saw a 14ft. (4.3m) deep crater where the tarmac road used to be! The explosion had also ripped an enormous Ash tree to ribbons. It was then they realised how close the bombs had really been to the farmhouse!

Ronnie heard later that the German bomber had been shot down a few miles further north at Spadeadam.

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