Jackfield cutting crew from 1962
From time to time we publish photos which have been contributed by Paul France of Madeley, but here we turn the tables – after coming across a photo of his young self from nearly 60 years ago.
The print in our archives was taken by the Express & Star – the Shropshire Star did not exist at the time – and dates from September 1962, when it was published with the caption: "This chaff cutter, an iron relic over 100 years old, is still able to cut up the straw – as demonstrated by Paul and Roger France, of Coalford, Jackfield, near Ironbridge."
Incidentally Coalford is not a misprint for Coalport – Coalford is an area of Jackfield.
We asked Paul what the story was behind the picture, and he tells us: "Dad used to keep hens in a shed with 'deep litter' – sawdust or chopped-up straw or hay.
"The thing was absolutely lethal, no health and safety then. On the input side was a wooden chute in which you put the straw which was dragged along between two steel rollers and into the path of the two scythe-like blades. It had a small gear lever which you moved to give longer or shorter lengths of straw.
"I had a long natter with my brother about the chaff cutter.
"He was an apprentice draughtsman at Farmer Brothers Ltd structural engineers in Aston Street, Shifnal, from 1956 until 1961 when he moved to BICC Ltd in Prescott.
"It was a fellow draughtsman who had a small holding in the Oakengates area – he can't remember his name – who gave him the chaff cutter which he delivered to Jackfield on his trailer pulled by a Land Rover.
"When dad stopped keeping chickens the chaff cutter stood in front of the rockery on the lawn as a feature for some time.
"It was finally passed on to a Mr Ashley who kept pigs and lived at the bottom of the Dingle in Jackfield where it was again used for cutting straw.
"Roger reminded me that before we acquired the machine we used to cut straw using a Heath Robinson device made by dad. It was simply a pair of shears with one handle clamped in the vice on the workbench. Operation was simple. With one hand you moved the free handle up and down while pushing a bundle of straw between the blades with the other hand.
"Roger thinks the photographer just happened to be walking past as we were working and asked if he could take a picture, so it wasn't a 'set up'.
"Finally, our elder sister got married in September 1962 which explains the empties in mom's wicker shopping basket in the background."
