Although he was only a child during the Great War, Reg does have some memories of that time. He can vividly remember a Zeppelin coming over one night, causing a panic. He says they all stood outside and saw it being shot down in flames. Farms at that time were short of labourers and, during the potato picking season, all the schools were closed and all children irrespective of age had to go and pick potatoes. Reg was 8 and he said other children working alongside him were younger. It was very hard, as they only wore ordinary shoes and very soon got wet feet and were frozen.

When Reg was a child, there was no doctor in the village and so they had to walk to Buntingford to see Dr Dixon or he would come to visit on his horse. Reg can recall one occasion when Dr Dixon came to see him at Little Hormead. He had ear-ache and the doctor told Reg’s mother she would have to send him to Buntingford to have it syringed out. Although only 9 or 10, Reg had to walk on his own to the doctor’s surgery in Buntingford. He sat there while the doctor got things ready but fainted before anything was done. When he came round, Dr Dixon thought he had better take him home, so he rode on his horse and poor Reg had to walk behind!! He never did get the ear syringed.

Two of Reg’s elder brothers were in the First World War. Both survived, but one brother who was in the cavalry was thrown from his horse and suffered for the rest of his life from the damage done to his back. The other brother, Albert, was gassed during the War.

When he left school, Reg went to work on the farm for Mr Will Patton at Little Hormeadbury, working six days a week for the princely sum of 7 shillings and 6 pence a week (37½p). However, when Reg was about 18, the boss died and the farm changed hands. Several workers had to leave, including Reg. After a few weeks, he went to work for Andrew Weir at at a farm in Great Hormead, where he remained for about 20 years.

Reg loved all types of sport, particularly cricket and football. He played for Great Hormead and was team captain for a number of years. He also enjoyed an occasional game of darts. Sometimes he and his friends would cycle into Buntingford to the dances which were held in the W.I. Hall or would go to the Cinema at Furneux Pelham, which was run by a Buntingford man called Denzil Law. Reg recalls that he and his friends would walk to the Cinema on Saturday nights and spend 6d. to get in and 4d. on a packed of cigarettes, and that would be their total expenditure that week!

In 1930 when Reg was 21 he went to a dance at Hormead, where he met Constance Compton, who happened to be staying with a friend in the village for the weekend. She came from Tewin and was the daughter of a policeman. Reg and Constance married on Boxing Day in 1936 and moved into a newly built house in Hare Sreet village, where Reg still lives today. By this time his weekly wages had increased to 32 shillings.

When Reg and Constance moved to Hare Sreet, there was a large village shop, a Bakery called Mole’s, a Post Office and a Butchers (opposite the present shop). There were three pubs: the Beehive, the Bell and the Three Jolly Butchers. There were daily milk deliveries, including Sundays, and Fred Mole delivered bread every day. A Butcher from Buntingford used to call three days a week, and a fish van twice a week, when you could buy wet or fried fish. Great Hormead had two pubs, the Three Tuns and the Three Horseshoes, and two shops. Someone from the shops used to come and take orders in the morning and then deliver the goods in the afternoon.

Reg and Constance had a son, Edmund, who was born in 1938. A year later, the second World War broke out. Constance wanted to take in evacuees and officials came round to inspect their accommodation and to see how many evacuees they could take. Constance felt sorry for four girls and so they agreed to take them in. When two of the girls arrived, Constance went to the door, with little Edmund clinging to her skirt. When she saw 18 month old Edmund, one of the girls straight away said “Hello little Bud”, put her arms around him and picked him up. The nickname stuck and henceforth Reg and Constance’s son became known as Bud nickname stuck and henceforth Reg and Constance’s son became known as Bud King (who now runs our Betting Shop!)

One of Reg’s brothers played violin in a small band and when the drummer gave up, Reg took over. They called themselves the K’s and B’s (from the initials of their surnames, King, Bull and Biggs). They played at various local dances in Buntingford and the villages throughout the War. Because Reg was a farm worker, he was exempt from military service but he joined the Home Guard. He spent his days from 7.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. working on the farm and then from 7.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. on duty three nights a week. Often 11.00 p.m. until 2.00 a.m. was spent patrolling the streets, in full army dress with live ammunition, because they never knew when Hitler might decide to send paratroops over at night.

Reg went to work for the Co-Op at Stonebury Farm, near Hare Sreet, in the apple orchard where they grew Cox’s Orange Pippins. After a few weeks he was appointed as Supervisor in the Apple Packing Department. However, the apple industry suffered when French apples began to be imported, and the orchards were pulled up and replaced with potatoes. Reg was put in charge of the pre-packed potatoes and he remained in this job until he took early retirement in 1971 when he was 62.

When Constance was 43 she was diagnosed as having breast cancer. Reg said that the treatment in those days was not as good as today and Constance was in and out of hospital and had to suffer many operations before she died in 1960. Reg was still working at Stonebury and he got to know Alice Hill, who used to run Bob’s Café at Puckeridge. She used to come in to buy extra large potatoes which were needed for the chips. They eventually married in 1968.

When Reg took his early retirement, he was offered a lump sum by the Co-Op and he and Alice enjoyed two lovely cruises to Barbados, Trinidad and St Vincent but sadly, after only 10 years of marriage, Alice developed cancer of the throat and died on Christmas Eve 1978.

Reg still lives in the house in Hare Sreet where he moved to when he first got married 64 years ago. He still goes to the Black Bull in Buntingford for a drink once or twice a week. His doctor did try to persuade him to go to live in Warden accommodation in Buntingford but Reg says he would not want to move out of his home. Until recently he did all his own housework and cooking, but now has help each day and has ‘meals on wheels’ three days a week. He does miss being able to do gardening, which he has always loved. His parrot keeps him company, and Reg says he is quite a chatterbox but shy with strangers. He did manage a few whistles whilst I was there. For some reason, he calls Reg ‘Arthur’.

Of Reg’s large family, he has one sister, Norah, still alive. She is 84 and lives in Stansted. Bud lives in Buntingford and Reg sees him often. Bud has kept up the family tradition and plays drums in a local band. The band used to play together in the sixties and re-formed about 5 years but, sadly, their bass player died suddenly The Band was re-named The John Bourne Band in his memory.

I would like to thank Reg very much for talking to me.