Colne Valley Beagles and other things of interest.: October 2015

A few photos from 1967 to 1974, mostly of the Colne Valley Beagles, although I did go with one or two other packs. There is no relevance to the order as they are not in the correct sequence.

They are not much good quality wise, just a vague reflection. They will probably only interest those old enough to have been around at the time and I suppose most of those won’t look anyway. Regrettably, I noticed as I looked them out, that many who featured in the photos have passed away, some quite young.

A Master and past Huntsman of the Colne Valley Beagles cutting his teeth in 1968.

Eskdale and Ennerdale Foxhounds in Cumberland as it was then known in 1967.

One of the famous Six Fell Packs of the Lake District

The Colne Valley Beagles on Knock Murton in 1969 – Lake District

Apprentice Whip, Wayne O’Brien with a stray hound under control – March 1973

The Colne Valley Beagles in 1970 from a meet at the Brown Cow, hunting across the M62 motorway at Scammonden before it was opened.

And again. The runner on the hard shoulder was Ivan Lee who was Editor of the Huddersfield Examiner, gone but not forgotten.

The late Ken Green, highly respected and loved CVB huntsman for 21 years, who was a window cleaner by trade, on a visit to the Lake District in 1970.

The Tax Lads in the lakes in 1970.

Therein lies a tale.

Around the late ‘60’s’ the middle one, Alan, and the one on the left, me, went to our very first Colne Valley Beagles AGM. Alan is an accountant. After the presentation of the CVB accounts Alan asked some penetrating questions about fixed asset valuation, there being none included. The Chairman and Master Bob Lockwood's eyes bulged, immediately slapped his big minute book shut and declared the meeting closed. All present swivelled to glare suspiciously at us – we sat at the back, newbies and unknown. Later we discovered it was thought we were from the Inland Revenue. Dynamite Des, the one on the right in the picture, later a bank manager but who wasn’t there at the time, tended to make up a trio especially in Lake District trips, also laboured for ever after under the soubriquet – A Tax Lad. Amongst those of that era this stuck with us. It took some considerable time for the suspicion to fade.

Badsworth Foxhounds at Bretton in 1974. I can see my Austin Mini Traveller parked there too.

Badsworth Foxhounds in 1974

East Lincs Hare Hounds - bassets.

On Sunday, 19^th May 1974 the CVB held a Country Fair. There were more after this one. It was held on fields at Blackmoorfoot opposite the Will’s O’Nats pub. In those days I think it was money for old rope to run a Country Fair. All that seemed necessary was a field, a few flimsy posts linked by a bit of band here and there, an announcement in the Examiner, invitations to friendly packs and anyone with a bit of fairground type stuff and with a fine day you could make a killing for little expense. It was estimated that 5000 attended. Dynamite Des was the moving force behind it's significant success.

Colne Valley Beagles at their Country Fair in 1974. Blackmoorfoot reservoir in the distance.

Westerby Bassets at the CVB Country Fair in 1974. On the right is John Atkinson, well known as a CVB Whip before moving to the Westerby Basset Hounds. Unfortunately like many good men he died young.

Ecclesfield Beagles at the CVB Country Fair in 1974 with huntsman Peter Pethick (not sure of his surname spelling and like so many others now no longer with us).

Holme Valley Beagles at the CVB Country Fair in 1974 with huntsman Barry Bridgewater, a noted local singer of hunting and folk songs.

I’m guessing it's the Cheshire Beagles at the CVB Country Fair

Can’t even guess who this pack is. Should be able to with that uniform.

Just been told -

Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Beagles - later to amalgamate with the Staffordshire or vice versa.

Peter Howitt is on the right who went ‘professional’ and was Kennel Huntsman at the Old Berkeley. Huntsman at the time here was Barry Wright who died tragically young – yet another!

Westerby Basset Hounds at the CVB Country Fair in 1974

One pack I visited in 1974 was the Claro who were hunting on the site of the Battle of Towton, that was largely held in what was then one enormous field, which is showing behind the people in the photo. Someone told me the acreage once but it was so big we never went out of it. The battle was a massacre in the Wars of the Roses. Of course the Yorkshire lot beat the Lancastrian bunch hollow and wiped a very significant number out. Men were men in those days and when the blood lust was up there was no stopping the Yorkist lads. Battle of Towton

John Haigh carried the horn on Saturdays between 1972 and 1975 following Ken Green’s retirement as huntsman and is leading hounds at a meet on Castle Hill, Huddersfield on the 23rd March 1974 . In those days both the CVB and the HVB would hunt around Castle Hill.

At a meet from New Rock, Barkisland on the 19^th January 1974 is George Sugden, Ken Green and Frank Garbett. George always wore the same outfit regardless of the weather, the mulberry coloured blazer type jacket and light coloured trousers. He never felt cold and he never got a cold. He was a carding engineer in a textile mill. During the war his hands were damaged having to grip rusty barbed wire and his fingers were closing on his palms which he attributed to that event. He would at appropriate moments cry out “Ere! Ere! Ere! Ere! Then!” to encourage hounds to come onto line.

John Haigh and the CVB on a Lake District visit on 1974 with a meet at Mockerkin Hall. These annual trips lasted several days and allowed us to enjoy a large area of outstanding countryside as well as fantastic hospitality.

John Haigh with the two Masters, Keith Wood and Keith Brook at Mockerkin in 1974

On Castle Hill with the late Keith Brook, (left), Joint Master and long time Whipper-in, is Billy Lee, centre. Chris Ridsdale is the Whip on the right. Billy also whipped in for the CVB. He was convinced he would never live past forty but defied his expectation and made it to somewhere over 50. A driving instructor at the time, which I would imagine shortens anyone’s life, he was founder of what became the respected and successful Huddersfield Rifle Club. The lad in the blue coat eventually matured and is currently a Joint Master.

John Haigh leading hounds on a road in ‘Cumberland’ in 1974.

Bob Auty was the midweek huntsman at the time John Haigh hunted Saturdays. Here he is after a meet at the Upper Royal George, now called the Jack O’Mitre for some reason.

The Whip with Bob Auty is Chris Ridsdale.

John Haigh with the CVB at Wort’s Hill in 1974

There are often visits from, and visits to, other pack’s country. In this case the Warwickshire Beagles were visiting to hunt the CVB country around Cop Hill on the 18 March 1972

The CVB at Ennerdale, 30^th September 1972

Lakes visit September 1972

The CVB visit the Warwickshire Beagles on the 3^rd March 1973

To raise funds, one project was waste paper collection. In an old collapsing garage in the kennels yard it was sorted and stored for selling on. A Sunday job for volunteers. John Haigh, Keith Wood and Jack Heap are three of them.

Dynamite Des Holroyd and me in the Lakes on the 3^rd October 1971. Generally, out of necessity, I acted as the Tax Lads’ driver on these away trips

Malcolm Hawkswell, now a Life Member of the CVB and one time Whipper-in was a very creative songwriter and entertaining singer, seen here in a duet in a Cumberland hostelry with Ken Green during an evening on a Lakeland visit. The Lake District hunts have a fine singing tradition as has our own area and so there are many talented performers.

One of my visits to the Ecclesfield Beagles. The meet was at Hollow Meadows near Bradfield. Peter Pethick, if I spelt his surname right, was the huntsman then.

My Tax Lad friend Alan with me standing in a rather poncey looking pose in the Lakes in 1971. He became Joint Master from 1983-1989 and now his son is Joint Master along with mine who was cutting his teeth on a horn in 1964 in the first picture.

Pritch Bland late huntsman of the Melbreak. I’m not sure of the date so late 60’s early 70’s Pritch Bland

At the Border Counties Otter Hounds meet on the Vyrnwy.

The sporting lady on the left is Eileen Enright (SP?), an entertaining character, staunch supporter of the CVB and a mole catcher. In the blue otter hunting outfit is Jack Ivester Lloyd, artist, writer, a well known sportsman and beagler who, during the war, won the DSC in the RNVR.

On the 21^st August 1971 a group of us from the CVB decided to look at Otter Hunting on the Vyrnwy, something I knew absolutely nothing about. It was a gorgeous day and I enjoyed paddling about in the river in my boots, but there were no otters, so no otter hunting, so no animals were harmed in any way by this exercise. It was the time I discovered that otters have a bone in their penis, out of necessity I imagine with all that cold water. There was someone wearing one there as a tie pin, which I understand was normal for trophy hunters in those days. If you haven't seen one they look like this

Maybe they wear them from mink now.

For all sorts of reasons it was a memorable day and the party retired to a pub for the evening, but as one of the car drivers yet again I probably have more memory of it than my passenger who left his supper, and more, behind at a petrol station while the tank was being filled, but at least he slept until we got home. Dynamite Des decided to stay overnight.

The O’Brien’s are well known locally as a sporting family as well as extensively elsewhere. Wayne, even in 1974, was a singer if a little coy about it. Frank Garbett is giving some encouragement at one of the evening singing events in the Lakes. Well every evening was a singing event there.

Wayne O’Brien in full flow.

A family trio of Graham O’Brien who was CVB huntsman from 1975-1978, Nigel another budding huntsman, and Wayne also a future huntsman etc. Interesting to see how little angels grow up.
Nigel singing - grown up!
Wayne singing - grown up!
And as an encore, if you can stand it - The boys in a duet - grown up!

Some CVB wives and ladies went on the Lake District trips and obviously enjoyed the pub evenings.

Photographs don’t do these splendid evenings justice as they were very enjoyable, the hospitality was wonderful and there were many folk there. For me it was the era of flash bulbs. The crozzling crackle of the bulb after the flash was quite a nice sensation.

Harrison Hoyle was the CVB kennelman for a few months short of 30 years and only earned £3 a week. One of the old type, still wearing fine leather gaiters, who were still around in those days. He served in the Royal Navy during WW1 and was an avid sportsman trailing all over to various meets of other packs during his lifetime. Much is written about him in the book Scarlet and Green. He died in 1980 aged 87. I was once giving him a lift and we had stopped on a narrow country road with a steep banking at the passenger side and since there wasn’t room for Harrison to get out I started to move the car back and away. Unfortunately this coincided with Harrison deciding to bail out regardless, pushing the door as wide as it would go so that it jammed in the bank as the car reversed and was practically torn off. It enabled him to abandon ship, though without any comment.

About Scarlet and Green

Harry Geach and some of his hounds at West Stockwith, 21^st October 1972. Another old sporting character with his own pack of hounds that we visited. He started his pack from hounds given to him when the Skegness Beagles disbanded in 1939 following a professional hunting career in the West Country, Ireland and elsewhere. I think he managed to keep his pack going on National Assistance as it was a shoe string operation and his hounds were almost as old as he was and like him they only ever died of old age.

Harry Hardisty in 1973, huntsman of the Melbreak Foxhounds appears not to care for sartorial elegance. Lakeland Packs were a service to the sheep farmers to limit fox predation over that wild rugged terrain.

21^st October 1971 the CVB with Ken Green in the Lakes

Ken Green coming home from his last hunt at Nont Sarah’s on the 12^th March 1972. 21 Years as huntsman but a continuous close association as a whipper-in since he was a young lad.

Martin Haigh, whipper-in to Ken seen in 1974, still a follower but without the beard. Green flat caps appeared in the early 70's.

Neil Pogson who was a Master of the CVB from 1957 to 1970 .

Evening entertainment at the pub. ‘Poggy’ (Neil Pogson) putting his heart and soul into performing his very funny version of Ivan Scavinsky Scavar. Another of his enthusiastic performances along the pub floor with suitable lubrication was called ‘Wagon Wheels’. Another post may well feature this.

Rockwood at Clayton West in 1974. Presumably John Loy is the huntsman.

Sands House meet in March 1974 with John Haigh

Staffordshire Beagles in Cumberland in 1974 that I decided to go to see. They don’t exist as such now, so a shame about the blue uniform going but they have been subsumed into the Derbyshire Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire Beagles. DNS

Staffordshire Beagles in Cumberland in 1974

2^nd March 1974 Watching the CVB at South Crosland.

Westerby Bassets in full cry from a meet at Upper Royal George – 24^th March 1973

Westerby Bassets huntsman – 24^th March 1973

Warwickshire Beagles at Nont Sarah’s – 9^th March 1974.

Probably 1975 and more in another post.

And don't miss viewing this historic video of the Colne Valley Beagles hunting on a Saturday morning of 1977 as well the East Lincs Hare Hounds who hunted in the afternoon and finally a bit of one of the CVB Country Fairs.

Colne Valley Beagles hunting etc in 1977

Saturday, 31 October 2015

HUNTING ODDS AND ENDS 1967 -1974