Wally watering in his favourite "Prize
Begonias" in the Abbey Conservatory
My great-grandfather was
Head Kitchen Gardener for many years and during the 1920 ~ 1930's
there were three generations of the White family living ,
and working , together, side by side, on
Battle Abbey Estate
....................................
World War II put an end
to that when all but Grandad
joined the Armed Forces
Three Generations of Gardners at Battle Abbey
My dad's memories
The Gardner
My Grandad was like most
Gardeners, extremely calm,
clever and versatile, and his
working day "every day is a
working day for Gardeners" was tending the plants in the
various gardens within the
Abbey Grounds. His week was
carefully organised to
include: Band practise,
wood-carving, carpentry,
fire-work making, telling me
stories, and teaching me how
to use tools.
The Showman
His most enjoyable task was the
propagation and culture of Prize
Winning Entries in the many Local
Flower Shows.
When he wasn't showing, he was
judging, . . . Flowers, Fruit and
Vegetables were all a challenge to
him, and if he was exhibiting, his
entries had to be the "BEST" in the
show. And very often, they were.
And my Dad was destined to follow in his footsteps.
I don't remember my Dad, or my Grandparents ever having a Holiday
Needless to say that the White family always
had fresh fruit and vegetables, for this was
one of the "perks" of being a Gardener on a
large Estate. Mr.Reid Partridge ran a small
Dairy Farm beside the Kitchen Gardens, so
we always had fresh milk as well. His son
Ron taught me to milk the Cows at an early
age. I was later to find this skill very useful
-with Goats, in a Palestinian Desert.
Wally carved this from a block of hard-wood in 1899.
It appears to be a
"Dickensian" figure, and I
would appreciate any
comments as to who he
might be, and is he worth
anything. My photo here
is about half-size of the
actual carving.
Battle-Rouser Maker
"Rousers" were a very
special firework made by
various local men in secret
locations (like my Wally's
shed) for the 5th November
Guy Fawkes celebrations
held every year with a
"Gurt Big Bonfire" on the
Abbey Green.
It was a dangerous
business with some local fatalities.
At five years old my dad was
nearly blinded by one of
these flying "bombs" which
exploded a few inches from
his face. The St John
Ambulance man called to
give "First Aid" turned out
to be his Dad. It was a bit
of a shock for him too.