Bus photo sparks trip down memory lane

Ray Heighway of Aston-on-Clun tells us: "It brought back very fond memories for me as I was among the group but missed off the photograph as I was standing on the left hand side of the photograph, with at least two others. It seems the photographer didn’t manage to get us all in.

"However there was no mention of what the photograph was about, so I thought I would drop you a line. It was the group of all the 1954/55 year students from what was then Walford Farm Institute, at Baschurch. It was taken at Walford Manor when we were about to board one of Vaggs' Coaches which would take us to Yorkshire for a visit to their Farm Institute, at Bishop Burton, near Beverley, where we stayed for a few days as part of the course.

"One of my memories was while on our journey we stopped off at The British Oil and Cake Mills, somewhere near Selby, to see how animal feeds were produced and as we left the management gave each one of us quite a large bottle of cod liver oil. In those days there was plenty of fish around and much was used in animal feed, so soon after rationing cod liver oil was seen as an important part of our diet.

"It is an interesting photograph because all of us were students intending for a career in farming, and these were the days when farming was going through rapid change following the need to produce more and better food after the war. The students were all from Shropshire with the exception of around six or seven from Herefordshire where they did not have a farm college.

"There were quite a number of farmers' sons among us. However after a time in farming some of us did change our work, and I for one went on to join the Shropshire Constabulary in 1961, because a friend said I was tall enough to join the police, being 6 feet 2 and a half inches, and I thought it would be better than milking cows every weekend.

"I remember many of the students on the photograph and their names, sadly some have now passed away."

David Powell has written in too, saying: "Wherever did you get the photo? It's students from Shropshire Farm Institute at Walford preparing to go to High Mowthorpe in Yorkshire on an exchange visit in a Vaggs bus in 1954 or 1955. I can name most of my colleagues in the photo, and I do correspond with three of them. Unfortunately some have passed on."

David is on the photo, smartly dressed in a jacket and tie, almost directly below the driver leaning out of his window.

He added: "The principal was R D Park, a grand man. If any of the students did wish to communicate, I would be happy to oblige. Great to reminisce."

And if they do, David's address is Beechcroft, Rochford, Tenbury Wells, WR15 8SH.