FARMING THE FORDSON WAY
John Webb’s grandfather came from farming stock. In 1910 he became a tenant farmer on a property belonging to Lord Bradford in Castle Bromwich. John’s father and uncles grew up on the farm. While John’s uncles went on to run farms of their own, John’s father Jack, as the youngest son, remained on the farm with his grandfather until the latter’s death in 1946. Then Jack gave up the farm tenancy and bought a farm of his own in Marford, near the Wales / England border.
Big move
John recalls his father, Jack Webb, telling the story of the big move to Marford, a huge life-changing step. The logistics were rather complicated back in 1947. Jack moved all the dead stock from the farm on two trailers behind a six-month-old Fordson Major E27N. Given the amount of ‘stuff’ gained during several decades of farming, Jack ended up making the 70-mile trip three times before he could get all his equipment to Marford. As a dairy farmer, Jack had to make this move while maintaining the cattle’s twice-daily milking routine. Yet, when it actually came to
