View source for John & Joan West

John West born 1937 was the son of [[Dick & Hilda West]]

Joan Gillingwater born 1939 was the daughter of Len & Mattie Gillingwater
[[File:John and Joan West Wedding.jpg|thumb|John and Joan 1961]]
John and Joan married in 1961 and moved into [[Coronation Cottage no 1]], [[Kiln Lane]]. 

Click [[John West]] for the obituary of John, written by Joan

'''Hallmark 2010 A Tribute to John Richard West''' 1937 – 2010. '''by David Davies'''

I am very pleased to have been asked by Joan to say a few words about my friend John, whom I have known for over 50 years.

As a result of his condition in hospital I, like many of you here, missed the chance of visiting him there and probably talking over old times. I will take this chance to tell you some of the things John and I would have spoken about.

We first met in 1954 when we both attended, along with my parents, a dinner at the home of Miss Sampson, who lived in Kiln Lane adjacent to Stocken Farm, Miss Sampson had been a botany lecturer at Aberystwyth University and taught both my parents while there. Somehow, she had heard I was to go to Harper Adams College in the next year, as John was, and thought we should meet. John survived the evening with the Davies's, My father, William Davies, enjoyed long debates with young people to test their convictions. John passed the test well.

John and I kept in touch even travelling by train and bus to Harper Adams in 1955 for our 1st term – few students had car in those days. We spent 2 years there among around 200 students in all, making a lot of good friends, many of whom John kept in touch, some of whom are here today. That was one of John’s strengths – he enjoyed other peoples' company and made the effort to visit and keep in contact. For example, Ann Walker, a poultry student at Harper whom he met again in the 1990's at an Australian Airport, and later brought her to an Out to Grass dinner in Nottingham in order that I met her also.

Back to our time in Harper. I spent those 2 years sitting next to John cribbing lecture notes from each other, which was difficult in itself as both of us had terrible hand-writing, but with Rod Jones and David Salmon at our desk we managed to understand and digest what we had written.

The students of our year were probably above average and John excelled by being awarded one of the 2 final year prizes awarded for the best student.

During our summer break in 1956, my father persuaded John and I to attend a conference in Northern Ireland, with British Society for Animal Production. 4 days in Belfast. There a group of us were invited by a well-known Irish agricultural journalist to visit Dublin farms. Catch the 10am train to Dublin was the instruction. 3 or 4 of us did but no journalist to be seen. He had changed the schedule and taken an earlier train with some of the party.

We visited several farms there and that evening at a reception we were invited by a west coast farmer/doctor to visit him. Nothing lost, John and I left for Limerick next morning and knocked on his door to find a very surprised farmer who kindly then organised a day out with an agricultural advisor, who introduced us to 1950's Irish farming.  Next day we bussed to Galway and then trained back to Dublin, having seen a lot of very wet Irish farming.  Was this an early version of the Grassland Society tours of later years.

'''Appendix To Tributes by David Davies'''

Local people may be very interested in the fact that the house in Kiln Lane referred to was Malmsmead.

The "Harry" John Leaman referred to was Harry Floyd, who was still living and recuperating until the 1970s. 

After Harper John and I kept in touch through the YFCs. John at Princes Risborough Club and I at Henley on Thames Club, meeting mostly at social occasions such as dances, where we tried to boost the numbers at each others functions.

Our last holiday together was a visit to France in 1959. I think this was a taster for John's famous holiday cruises and trips abroad.  Joan tells me that, soon after they married, John announced he would like to retire at 40 and spend time touring the world.  John partly had his wish when he started the trips in his late 40s but he never really retired.  I believe the 1959 trip was the start of his craving for travel!   We booked a flight from Lydd in Kent to Le Tourquet in northern France.  No ordinary airline.  We took our car with us on the plane.  An ex-military plane which carried 4 cars and about a dozen passengers. Our 2 week trip took us to Paris, of course, and down the Loire valley into Brittany, Mont St Michel and back to Le Tourquet. The last night in France we stayed with Professor Andre Voisan at his farm near Dieppe An eminent French scientist and farmer, friend of my father, who practised the grassland farming methods that he preached. Ahead of his time, he was a pioneer of modem grassland management, ensuring soil plants and animals were working in harmony.

We were late to bed that night debating his methods and theories but later, as he was writing a French, German and English Agricultural Dictionary he needed help to supply some of the English words. The ones that he did not know were few but we both struggled to help him.

During our trip through rural France, we slept in an American Biwi tent, usually borrowing sheaves of corm to sleep on and then re-stook them next morning before we were caught trespassing.  Breakfast was provided from John's ample supply of bacon and eggs, these supplied from John's new venture - deep litter hens. We took so many that about 2 dozen were left over, which John hard boiled to stop them going off.  They apparently accidentally found their way to the Farm shop and were sold by John's grandad Cook as fresh eggs. Did John start the production of ready prepared meals?

John was fortunate in his career that his father allowed him to start his own ventures in the business, egg production for farm sales, the Xmas turkey with their excellent flavour and grinding wheat, for extra income. Did the dusty conditions in the barn contribute to his later having a bad chest?

In March 1960, my family moved to nearby Hatches Farm and so our friendship continued. John and Joan came to my marriage that July to Ann. Our great regret is that, due to John's illness, neither of them were able to join us on the occasion of our Golden Wedding last July.

John was proud of his farm garden and the source of his flowers and vegies. Where ever he went visiting there was often a large bunch of Gladioli for the lady of the house. How John was never thumped by a jealous husband I will never know.  In the latter years, John took to visiting Tesco's and buying bargains at the end of trading. These again were given away on his house visits. John was a generous person. On visiting his house, the ladies often went away with flowers, even if it was from the vase that long suffering Joan had carefully arranged earlier. John was good, like his father earlier, at handing over the farming to Richard. It was probably made easier in the fact that John and Joan were always away on cruises. He had booked 2 more for this autumn. He was proud of the success Richard, Trisha and Caroline have made of their careers and proud of all his grandchildren.

John was a good listener and inquisitor.  He knew all about everyone but it was hard to find out his business and thoughts.

John, thank you for our friendship for all those years. | and many others will miss you and will remember you with our own happy memories and affection.

'''A tribute to John by Jim Kent'''

I am delighted and honoured to have been asked by Joan to say a few words about John / the farmer, colleague and friend.

We first met John in 1960 when we arrived as townies to farm in West Wycombe. John and Dick came and leant on the proverbial five bar gate and watched us, advised us, laughed with us at our mistakes and even went off and tried some of our mad ideas (although they would never admit it!).  John was fortunate in that he came from an established family farm whereas most new members of the local farming community came from outside of the industry. Nonetheless he embraced these newcomers and their ways enthusiastically, even going as far as to borrow money to install a parlour and expand the business, much to the horror of his father who had never borrowed, only spending money he had already earned.

John was a relatively retiring person but he was among the leaders of our generation of farmers who formed the Bucks Farmers Club and the Bucks Grassland Society. Both these organisations provided valuable technical assistance in the drive for production during the latter part of the 20th century.  The former still survives and, in keeping with the changed times, runs a more socially based series of meetings. Sadly the Grassland Society ran out of support and was wound up.  In the early 60s a small group, which inevitably included John, started going round the British Isles, with the odd excursion into Europe, to learn first-hand how other farmers were rising to the challenge of increased production.  Nearly fifty years later, the nucleus of this group still meet up twice a year, firstly a winter lunch to discuss the possibility of another trip and then, later in the year, to go on such a trip somewhere in the UK. We now Call ourselves the “Out to Grass Society” and we are all so pleased that Joan plans to join us in the North Yorks Moors this autumn.

John was involved from the outset with Chesham Farmers, another organisation which had a profound effect on our lives. I well remember John and David Davies coming to Cookshall Farm to persuade us to join. For the whole life of CF he was a very active member who gave much to the Group as a Director (who were basically unpaid executives) and supporter of its many initiatives, including the formation of commodity discussion groups.  At these meetings John was relatively quiet, but his brain was always working overtime taking in all the information he could.  The only way to gauge what he had taken away from these meetings was to go on a farm walk to Stocken Farm and see for ourselves.

The Chiltern Hills Agricultural Association and the RABI were two other farming organisations to which John devoted many hours, He and Joan attended the former's ploughing match one year and decided it lacked in social atmosphere and as a result they volunteered to provide a lunch fitting for the occasion, which became a feature of the event for many years.  He was a longstanding member of the Chiltern Hills committee, spent many hours ferrying judges round for the numerous competitions but, most importantly in his eyes, entering himself for as many classes as he could. The office at Stocken Farm bears testimony to their successes.

The RABI is the leading Agricultural charity to which John devoted a lot of time and energy. For years he took an active role in the main function run in Bucks – the annual dinner dance in Aylesbury.  If John approached you with a ticket you knew you would be attending – Joan described him as the master salesman on these occasions.  The Entertaining shows for charity at Stocken Farm in the 70s were always very well supported and raised large sums of money for the RABI and some of the other numerous Charities to which John and Joan have given so generously over the years.

John was a prominent member of the community in Lacey Green. For years he plied Joan with information for her “Views from the farm” thereby keeping the villagers informed of the activities on the farm.  In doing this they have been industry leaders, as farmers are notorious for their poor communications skills with the consumers. He has also supported many village initiatives and for decades he and Stocken Farm have been at the centre of village fife.

To finish I would like to tell of an incident which typified the John we all held in such affection:

One evening, soon after John & Joan moved to Arcadia, we joined them for drinks prior to attending one of the  "Murder Mystery evenings” at the Lacey Green Village Hall.  Always with a twinkle in his eye and an eye for a bargain, John drew back the curtains and put on the outside light to reveal his latest purchase. He had got a real bargain at Hildreths, a half-sized statue of a beautiful proportioned lady in marble. "I have bought her for Joan's birthday" John informed us.  At this point Joan came in from the kitchen with some nibbles, grinned broadly and informed us that in her opinion "She" was for Johns' gratification not hers.

As a family, we owe a massive thank you to John for the great kindness he showed towards our mother in her last few years and for the friendship we have enjoyed for fifty years. It goes without saying that we will all miss him.

'''By John Leaman'''

Joan has asked me to restrict my contribution to this memorial slot to the family aspects of John's life. I first met John at Stocken Farm in about 1952, when I started to work as farm student living in the farmhouse.

John's mother and father, Dick & Hilda West, had started to farm at Lacey Green some years earlier when John's father had left the family farm at West Wycombe to farm on his own at what was a very difficult time financially in agriculture and it was not until John returned from Agricultural College in 1957 that significant changes started to take place, with Dick having the foresight to take John into Partnership and sharing the day to day management of the farm, unlike many farming fathers.

John also broke with tradition by asking for a weekly wage rather than having to ask for some cash before going out. He then embarked on his own breeding programme, in which I understand Joan played some significant part!!

At this time Dick was enjoying national publicity for one Wessex Saddleback sow, Enstock Alice, who had the habit of producing large litter numbers.

Also living in the farm house was Hilda's father, who enjoyed helping the bookmaking fraternity, and Harry, a bachelor who had lived on his own in the village and some years previously the West's had taken in when he had the ‘flu and was still recuperating,

The house appeared to be permanently full, especially at weekends, when relations and friends visited and gratefully accepted Hilda's hospitality. I think that most of those friends who visited will still remember, like myself, the large red leather three-piece suite in the dining room.

These acts of generosity rubbed off on John and Joan, who in return extended friendship and hospitality to one and all.

Not long after John took over the running the business, his father very generously admitted that since John had returned home he and Hilda for the first time had money to spend on some of the niceties of life rather than the more basic necessities like tractor tyres or a new sieve for the hammer mill.

John's love for travelling was evident when he left college and he encouraged me to join him on some of those earlier trips, his ability to engage almost anyone in conversation or find some distant friend or relative to visit was uncanny.

Two of those holidays featured Butlins at Brighton and a week in the Channel Isles, where he just happened to know the son of Jersey's Minister of Agriculture.

Two little gems that have not, as far as I know, been broadcast are our visit to a Convent in Aylesbury where he had a contact who entertained us to tea and cakes,

The other more recent incident was when he took an attractive East European young lady, who had been doing domestic work in Lacey Green, to the station and while helping get suitcases on board the train departed with John still onboard with the young lady.

Another event was not that long ago when we met up in Normandy and picnicked on an almost deserted beach, John, topped by a red baseball cap felt it his duty to improve Anglo-French relations by taking up position on a rock by a lone fisherman digging for lug worm. We just wondered if the fisherman had sought sanctuary away from his family on the deserted beach, only to have his peace invaded by Les Anglais.

In finishing, I must say how proud John was of his family Richard, Patricia and Caroline and their grandchildren and our sincerest and deepest condolences go out to all of the family.

John, you will be greatly missed.

'''JOHN WEST of STOCKEN FARM'''    by Joan West (wife)

John West was the son of Dick and Hilda West, who had taken Stocken Farm in September 1934.   John was born in April 1937.    Hilda had a weak heart after rheumatic fever and had been advised not to have children. This she ignored, but John was to be an only child.

'''1939 saw the outbreak of WW2'''.   Every spare room at Stocken Farm was used by Bomber Command to accommodate officers and their families.   Young John was not short of comrades.   Also into the house moved his mother’s father (Grandad Crook) and Harry Floyd, who came temporarily to recuperate from bronchitis.    Both were still with them thirty years later.

'''John got friendly with the prisoners of war''' who worked on the farm.   The bread they were given to bring for their lunch was often green with mould.   They longed for crusty bread from the bakehouse.    They begged worn out hessian sacks to make rope shoes to sell, for they were not given money.   John secretly bought bread for them with the cash they made.  There were also prisoners of war in Highwood Bottom.   They did not work at Stocken Farm, but cooked chips in the evening that smelled wonderful.   They longed for a football.   John supplied a football and got to share the chips

'''He joined Princes Risborough Young Farmers Club''' when eleven or soon after.    He remained a member till obliged to leave at twenty five, having been many years on the committee, acted as treasurer for years and represented them in local and national competitions.   He then became a vice-president all his life.

'''In 1954, John, had tossed up between Chemistry and Farming, and decided on farming''', much to his parents’ relief.   After a year’s ‘practical’ at home, he enrolled at Harper Adams Agricultural Collage, in Shropshire, coming back to the farm in1957, having been awarded the medal for the second best student for that intake.    He had been given a grant to go there, which helped with the finance.    Very few students had a car, certainly not John and it was usual for him to hitch lifts to travel.   They sat final exams in Leeds.   Shropshire was good way from home to hitch,  Leeds even further.

'''Back home in 1957''' it was not long before his parents made him a partner with them in the farm business, and “'''[[R M West & Son]]'''” was born.   Partners: Richard Montague West, Hilda Elsie West, & John Richard West.

'''By 1957 Dick had increased the cows to 26, his sheep to about 60''' and had established a good name for commercial breeding pigs, which he sold at Reading market.   They prepared a few cockerels and turkeys for Christmas and had more hens.   The horses had been replaced by two tractors, their first combine harvester was recently purchased and they owned the farm, the mortgage had been cleared.

Now, students were coming from the collages with more professional knowledge. Machines became more specialised, but were expensive.    Crop and stock breeding advanced, everything became easier and yet more difficult.   Old style farming had to change – or else !

'''Dick and John were lucky.   Dick, steeped in farming experience, John trained to look at things in a new way'''.    Together, with respect and affection for each other, they took Stocken Farm forward into the 1960’s.

'''John started by waging war on the mud.'''    The earth yards (often mud) and drive were gradually concreted a bit every year, until machines, animals and men could get around comfortably.     The concrete drive was reinforced, which would soon have been essential anyway, as the lorrys got bigger and heavier.   The cows had been overwintered in an earth yard behind the house, bedded with straw.   This was the first place to be done.

'''In 1963, their first milking parlour was installed'''.    This was a big breakthrough.   Now one man could milk 60 cows