My Father the Gamekeeper
Early Years
by
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…He remembers it was a warm spring day and they were on their way to the edges of the woods called the Pulk. There was a large sandy area which was a bomb hole and a kingfisher had made its nest in the sides of the crater. Each of them took a look and then in turn had a feel by putting their arm up to its full extent. Dad recalls his excitement as he felt six eggs nestled in the soft warmth at the end of the tunnel, deep inside the crater walls. He said the nest was mostly made up of very fine fish bones which felt soft to the touch; the kingfisher had taken small fish back to the nest to eat and regurgitated the bones, using them for the nests, then lining it with feathers. The boys decided they would take just one egg for their collection on this occasion. Having carefully extracted it from the nest, one of them carefully made a hole in each end and blew out the yolk, putting it into their tin to take home with them. As he was doing this, his brothers were taking aim at the rabbits which had congregated all about them as they had been so quiet at the nest, the rabbits having crept back to their sandy holes. Next, they wondered slowly on to the riverside, dad and his brother John getting there first, putting their worms on the hooks. Very soon dad had a bite and quickly pulled out a perch. A perch can be a tricky fish to hold as it has sharp spikes on its back and this one he told me was probably about two pounds in weight. It wasn’t the easiest fish to keep hold of because of its spikey fins. They had a dilemma as the fish was struggling a bit and they hadn’t got anything on them to kill it with. He removed the hook and held the fish as best as he could, wondering what to do next. What with the fishes struggle and him trying to avoid being injured by the spikes, his brother John suddenly said “I know how to kill it” and promptly peed into its mouth whilst it was still being held. Dad said he couldn’t say if it worked or not because suddenly they became oblivious to anything else except for the sudden bellows and loud roaring noises getting very close. Coming towards them at speed was a very large and angry bull, only a hundred yards away when they looked up. Farmers in those days put steel masks over the faces of the nastier bulls and this bull was wearing one. The mask was a form of safety measure by the farmers to deter and detract the bull from seeing too much of its surroundings. It was also easily recognised by people walking about the farms that this was an animal which may harm you if you had to work near to it in the fields. Just seeing this mask itself caused the boys to panic. The bull was holding his head up at a slight angle so he could just see under his mask a little bit. If it hadn’t been so serious it would have been funny. ” My God, I was scared!” he told me and the bull was getting closer and louder by the second. Dad immediately threw the perch back into the water and flung himself off into the shallows of the river, as fast as he could. He thought it would have been him dying, not the perch if he wasn’t quick enough. He landed in the bulrushes along the riverbank, trying to get away and hide in the undergrowth away from the bull, hoping it wouldn’t see him in there, intending to swim across and out of danger. By this time the bull had put its head down, pawing the ground, getting ready for a full charge, but he couldn’t quite see exactly what he was charging at, luckily for the two boys at the time. Dad had left John to his own defences in his panic to get away but looking back he could see he had run off and was now twenty yards away from the bulls’ side, when he heard his brother John shout out to him “I’ll get him George!”…
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About the Book
I wrote this book in the hope that everybody could share the memories of my father and have a glimpse of the alternative lifestyle to those who lived in the towns and cities at that time. Follow the journey of my father’s humble upbringing in the wilds of I’m sure you will smile and chuckle as you turn the pages and follow the life path of my father, the mischievous boy, turning into the most respected gamekeeper I know. Those of you who grew up in similar backgrounds may recognise the hardships and difficult days, along with the sense of freedom and exploration of that time, which had very few rules and regulations. This book may awaken your own memories of when the countryside was pure, untouched and full of life.
About the Author
Anne Marie White was born in Gloucestershire, the third child to a gamekeeper and his wife in the fifties.
Growing up in remote rural areas of
When she went to school she thought everybody knew about the countryside and shooting and couldn’t understand why her friends wouldn’t believe the King had been to her home for a cup of tea and a piece of cake.
So she kept it quiet and under her hat until her voice had grown.
After moving around the countryside for most of her school years she left school and ended up at college doing a catering course.
Anne then went on to have a family of her own. She now has two grandchildren and lives in
Anne now chooses to work as a cook in a residential care home for the elderly as they appreciate her country style of quality home cooking.
In her spare time as a hobby she started to write about her own childhood and experiences, until one day she realised how important it was to her father to get down in writing his intriguing life story.