Farms and Farmworkers
Farming played a crucial role in the war effort during the First World War; keeping the two populations fed, the military forces and the home front, was vital. At the same time, Ely and its surrounding farms and villages was also a source of manpower for the forces – just at the point it became important to increase yield on the fenland farms the young workers were flocking to enlist and farms were seriously understaffed.
In 1914, Britain actually imported over 60% of its total food supply. Four-fifths of wheat eaten in Britain came from abroad, which meant only one loaf in five was made from British wheat. Also almost all of the sugar, four fifths of lard, three quarters of cheese, two thirds of the bacon and half of the condensed milk was imported. British meat and fresh milk were expensive and more likely to be consumed by the wealthier classes. Imported food was cheaper and consumed mainly by the poorer people. Cheap cuts of meat, brought in chilled from South America and Australasia, were much cheaper than home raised meat, but vulnerable to blockades and submarine attacks while they were in transit. Within four days of the outbreak of World War One on August 4th 1914, Great Britain was gripped with the fear that food supplies would run out.
By July 1915 almost 20 per cent of the local young men of Ely and Prickwillow had volunteered for the Front and a significant proportion of these were farmworkers, young men in their teens and early twenties. Many of these were already members of the Territorial Forces and had returned home from their summer camp only days before war was declared. Such was the rush to volunteer that there were immediate fears that the harvest still standing in the fields could not be gathered in; permission had to be given for rural children to delay their return to school until the harvest was over.
Mr Cole Ambrose was probably the farmer who suffered the greatest loss of manpower in the region, as he owned 4,000 acres in various parts of the Fens, 1,600 of them in Stuntney, and employed approximately 40 men and 20 boys. Practically the whole of the male population of Stuntney worked on the estate, which had its own blacksmith's and carpenter's shops. Cole Ambrose was also said to be 'the largest breeder of Shire Horses in England' as well as being one of the largest wheat farmers in the Country. Most of the young men who appear in the “Stuntney Book of Heroes” were his employees.
The Army scoured the Fens looking to requisition horses for the Front as these were needed not only for transport, but also by the Artillery for moving the big guns. Men who could work with the horses, especially those with expertise as ploughmen, farriers and blacksmiths, were also in great demand and recruiting parties looking for these workers were advertised.
The loss of farmworkers becomes clear when conscription began in 1916. Two tribunals sat in Ely to hear appeals when men were called up. The Ely Urban Tribunal heard appeals for the city and Prickwillow, while Ely Rural Tribunal heard those from the surrounding villages such as Little Thetford and Little Downham; each tribunal was made up of a military representative and other local leaders, including landowners such as Cole Ambrose. Farmers appeared before the tribunals to request exemption for their vital workers, arguing that the government was requiring them to produce more food which they could not do without their men. The hearings were usually very brief (about ten minutes per case) and it was rare for a farmworker to be discharged of his obligation; what normally happened was that he would be exempted for a few months to give his employer time to find a substitute on the farm, or perhaps even a volunteer who would substitute for the man at the Front. It was clear from the published accounts of the tribunals in local newspapers that most farms were already at half strength and fields were being left uncultivated e.g. Mr T.W.H. Clarke of Denmark House, Ely, appealed for two of his carters, complaining he had already lost nine men. The Tribunals routinely asked the farmers whether they could employ more women to take on vital farm roles - soon all available women in local families of farmworkers were taking their relatives' places on the farms.
In 1916 Britain teetered on the edge of a food crisis with only six weeks’ worth of wheat left. The price of food rose by 130 per cent and the Ministry of Food introduced voluntary rationing whereby people limited themselves to what they should eat. The guide was no more than two courses for lunch and three for supper if dining in a public place. “No beer” notices became a common sight in local public houses. With farming put under intense pressure, local farmer Frederick Hiam of Prickwillow was appointed director of vegetable supplies to the Ministry of Food. In 1917, Germany introduced unrestricted warfare and one in four merchant ships were sunk, taking important food supplies to the bottom with them. Butchers at Prickwillow reported shortages, whilst those at Ely came before the magistrates for overcharging. Food waste also became a major issue for the Government and individuals could be penalised if they were deemed to be wasting food that was fit for human consumption. In January 1918, sugar was rationed and by the end of April meat, butter, cheese and margarine were also rationed. (Thanks in part to a good wheat harvest in 1918 and the U-boat threat being contained through the convoy system, the food crisis was eventually averted. Sugar and butter however remained on ration until 1920.)
An article in the Ely Standard of 2nd February 1917 explained current government legislation to the population. Local tribunals across the country had identified 60,000 farmworkers for call up, but it was promised that only half of these would be attested and no more could be taken without the sanction of the War cabinet. The farmers were promised that men who were trained in using steam cultivators would be returned from the Front, and that German prisoners who were skilled in agriculture would be employed in gangs on the land under military supervision. The government also promised help with hiring balers and keeping motor tractors running, and that soldiers from local depots would be sent on to the land to help with ploughing and sowing in the spring (subject to national defence needs of course). The President of the Board of Agriculture told the National Farmers' Union that the call up "was a staggering blow.... but in the place of the 30,000 to be taken the farmers had been promised 15,000 from one source by the Military Authorities and 15,000 from another.... there would be no break in agricultural operations. Whatever they might say as to the quality, the quantity of labour placed at their disposal was greater than they had been able to command for the last eight months."
Measures were taken locally to recruit help on the farms at times of greatest need:
When the war ended about seventy local farmworkers had paid the ultimate price and did not come home – a third of these were teenagers. War memorials in nearby villages tell a similar story.
In 1919 the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act was passed which instructed local authorities to provide smallholdings and allotments for returning ex-serviceman (who did not even need to have previously been farmworkers). In March, Isle of Ely council employees began their search for appropriate land across their area for compulsory purchase and were frequently met with hostility from local farmers! By 17th November, the Ely Standard recorded, a total of 15,312 acres had been acquired of which 9,027 acres had been allocated to 799 ex-servicemen. It was believed that the remaining land could accommodate a further 600 men. Some of these ex-servicemen would have been settled as "colonies". The quality of the land was variable - for example farmer Fredrick Hiam of Prickwillow offered good quality land to ex-servicemen on a three year lease at £3 per acre - here the problem was that there was no accommodation available in the vicinity, so the usefulness of his offer depended on the willingness of Cambridgeshire County Council to build council homes nearby.
The allocation of allotments to the returning men caused some debate and in May 1920 Mr J Royall ("a married man with a large family") who was a member of the Comrades of the Great War Committee complained of being overlooked in the distribution. Once his story appeared in the papers he suddenly received 20 poles of land. However, generally the settlement was carried out by the Urban District Council as swiftly as possible, and the Comrades acknowledged this in a public letter which appeared in the Ely Standard of 2nd July 1920.
In 1914, Britain actually imported over 60% of its total food supply. Four-fifths of wheat eaten in Britain came from abroad, which meant only one loaf in five was made from British wheat. Also almost all of the sugar, four fifths of lard, three quarters of cheese, two thirds of the bacon and half of the condensed milk was imported. British meat and fresh milk were expensive and more likely to be consumed by the wealthier classes. Imported food was cheaper and consumed mainly by the poorer people. Cheap cuts of meat, brought in chilled from South America and Australasia, were much cheaper than home raised meat, but vulnerable to blockades and submarine attacks while they were in transit. Within four days of the outbreak of World War One on August 4th 1914, Great Britain was gripped with the fear that food supplies would run out.
By July 1915 almost 20 per cent of the local young men of Ely and Prickwillow had volunteered for the Front and a significant proportion of these were farmworkers, young men in their teens and early twenties. Many of these were already members of the Territorial Forces and had returned home from their summer camp only days before war was declared. Such was the rush to volunteer that there were immediate fears that the harvest still standing in the fields could not be gathered in; permission had to be given for rural children to delay their return to school until the harvest was over.
Mr Cole Ambrose was probably the farmer who suffered the greatest loss of manpower in the region, as he owned 4,000 acres in various parts of the Fens, 1,600 of them in Stuntney, and employed approximately 40 men and 20 boys. Practically the whole of the male population of Stuntney worked on the estate, which had its own blacksmith's and carpenter's shops. Cole Ambrose was also said to be 'the largest breeder of Shire Horses in England' as well as being one of the largest wheat farmers in the Country. Most of the young men who appear in the “Stuntney Book of Heroes” were his employees.
The Army scoured the Fens looking to requisition horses for the Front as these were needed not only for transport, but also by the Artillery for moving the big guns. Men who could work with the horses, especially those with expertise as ploughmen, farriers and blacksmiths, were also in great demand and recruiting parties looking for these workers were advertised.
The loss of farmworkers becomes clear when conscription began in 1916. Two tribunals sat in Ely to hear appeals when men were called up. The Ely Urban Tribunal heard appeals for the city and Prickwillow, while Ely Rural Tribunal heard those from the surrounding villages such as Little Thetford and Little Downham; each tribunal was made up of a military representative and other local leaders, including landowners such as Cole Ambrose. Farmers appeared before the tribunals to request exemption for their vital workers, arguing that the government was requiring them to produce more food which they could not do without their men. The hearings were usually very brief (about ten minutes per case) and it was rare for a farmworker to be discharged of his obligation; what normally happened was that he would be exempted for a few months to give his employer time to find a substitute on the farm, or perhaps even a volunteer who would substitute for the man at the Front. It was clear from the published accounts of the tribunals in local newspapers that most farms were already at half strength and fields were being left uncultivated e.g. Mr T.W.H. Clarke of Denmark House, Ely, appealed for two of his carters, complaining he had already lost nine men. The Tribunals routinely asked the farmers whether they could employ more women to take on vital farm roles - soon all available women in local families of farmworkers were taking their relatives' places on the farms.
In 1916 Britain teetered on the edge of a food crisis with only six weeks’ worth of wheat left. The price of food rose by 130 per cent and the Ministry of Food introduced voluntary rationing whereby people limited themselves to what they should eat. The guide was no more than two courses for lunch and three for supper if dining in a public place. “No beer” notices became a common sight in local public houses. With farming put under intense pressure, local farmer Frederick Hiam of Prickwillow was appointed director of vegetable supplies to the Ministry of Food. In 1917, Germany introduced unrestricted warfare and one in four merchant ships were sunk, taking important food supplies to the bottom with them. Butchers at Prickwillow reported shortages, whilst those at Ely came before the magistrates for overcharging. Food waste also became a major issue for the Government and individuals could be penalised if they were deemed to be wasting food that was fit for human consumption. In January 1918, sugar was rationed and by the end of April meat, butter, cheese and margarine were also rationed. (Thanks in part to a good wheat harvest in 1918 and the U-boat threat being contained through the convoy system, the food crisis was eventually averted. Sugar and butter however remained on ration until 1920.)
An article in the Ely Standard of 2nd February 1917 explained current government legislation to the population. Local tribunals across the country had identified 60,000 farmworkers for call up, but it was promised that only half of these would be attested and no more could be taken without the sanction of the War cabinet. The farmers were promised that men who were trained in using steam cultivators would be returned from the Front, and that German prisoners who were skilled in agriculture would be employed in gangs on the land under military supervision. The government also promised help with hiring balers and keeping motor tractors running, and that soldiers from local depots would be sent on to the land to help with ploughing and sowing in the spring (subject to national defence needs of course). The President of the Board of Agriculture told the National Farmers' Union that the call up "was a staggering blow.... but in the place of the 30,000 to be taken the farmers had been promised 15,000 from one source by the Military Authorities and 15,000 from another.... there would be no break in agricultural operations. Whatever they might say as to the quality, the quantity of labour placed at their disposal was greater than they had been able to command for the last eight months."
Measures were taken locally to recruit help on the farms at times of greatest need:
- The Women's Land Army had been set up. Over 260,000 women were employed as farm labourers across the country, this included local Prickwillow and Ely women who had already some experience of farm work as children - a thirteen-year-old girl drove three horses in a reaping machine and cut down acres of barley, she also milked three cows daily. Other young women locally were seen up 20 foot ladders picking apples. The newspaper also reported on an unnamed local clergyman's daughter (who had lost her brother at the Front) who was working all day tying and shocking, and gave her earnings to the Red Cross.
- 32 German prisoners of war were housed in the Infectious Diseases hospital, some at the Grange in Littleport and another 25 were based at the ‘No Hurry’ pub in Upware – these all worked on local farms.
- Farmers were given permission to approach local military depots with requests for help at times such as harvest – they could also have their own expert workers back for a fortnight from the Front if required.
- Teachers from the public schools such as Eton and Harrow organised summer camps and brought their pupils to work on the farms in the holidays – Mr Hiam took full advantage of this at Prickwillow. The boys saw this as a great holiday opportunity, and local villagers would rally round to provide entertainment in the evenings. There is no comment in the newspaper about what the local children already working on the farms with their families thought of this!
- From May 1916 the county education committee agreed that boys aged eleven could leave school to work on the farms with the agreement of their parents, if the work was deemed suitable.
- The Government encouraged the transformation of back gardens into allotments or small holdings to try and increase food production. (Even the Royal Family played their part with the gardens at Buckingham Palace turned over to horticulture.) The boys of Needhams School helped in the war effort by cultivating vegetable patches in the gardens of elderly Ely residents who could not cope with the heavy work by themselves.
- For the farm workers left behind things were not easy- they complained that, with rising prices, their wages were insufficient, and the agricultural labourers’ union fought for better conditions. It appears that some farmers deliberately paid their younger workers less than the older men they had brought out of retirement – assuming that this was acceptable as they were saving them from being sent to the Front. There was little sympathy for their plight - one local clergyman stated: “I am far too much interested in the welfare of the families of men at the front to care very much about those who remain safely at home and seem to forget there is a war on.” At least one farmer was not even this sympathetic, and ejected soldiers’ families from tied accommodation on his farm.
When the war ended about seventy local farmworkers had paid the ultimate price and did not come home – a third of these were teenagers. War memorials in nearby villages tell a similar story.
In 1919 the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act was passed which instructed local authorities to provide smallholdings and allotments for returning ex-serviceman (who did not even need to have previously been farmworkers). In March, Isle of Ely council employees began their search for appropriate land across their area for compulsory purchase and were frequently met with hostility from local farmers! By 17th November, the Ely Standard recorded, a total of 15,312 acres had been acquired of which 9,027 acres had been allocated to 799 ex-servicemen. It was believed that the remaining land could accommodate a further 600 men. Some of these ex-servicemen would have been settled as "colonies". The quality of the land was variable - for example farmer Fredrick Hiam of Prickwillow offered good quality land to ex-servicemen on a three year lease at £3 per acre - here the problem was that there was no accommodation available in the vicinity, so the usefulness of his offer depended on the willingness of Cambridgeshire County Council to build council homes nearby.
The allocation of allotments to the returning men caused some debate and in May 1920 Mr J Royall ("a married man with a large family") who was a member of the Comrades of the Great War Committee complained of being overlooked in the distribution. Once his story appeared in the papers he suddenly received 20 poles of land. However, generally the settlement was carried out by the Urban District Council as swiftly as possible, and the Comrades acknowledged this in a public letter which appeared in the Ely Standard of 2nd July 1920.
