You will no doubt have noticed all the farmers busy working in the fields the past few months with their huge tractors cutting and collecting the harvests. Tipton has always been a busy agricultural valley, with many farms, market gardens and small holdings.
Farming is notorious for being a dangerous occupation with all the physical work, having to face the elements of the seasons and the use of animals and heavy machinery
I had heard talk of a young boy losing his leg one summer holiday so I began researching the Newspaper Archives for such stories. I was amazed to find so many accidents and sadly deaths reported over the years.
I discovered that a young man did indeed lose his leg. Brian Mandeville of Venn Ottery was 13 years old and on the evening of 30 August 1946 he was involved in an accident at Metcombe when his leg was caught in the arm of a binder and was thrown onto the binder canvas. Both his legs were broken above the ankle and he received severe cuts from the knives, unfortunately his leg had to be amputated. The proceeds of the fortnightly dance at the hall was donated to help Brians recovery.
In July 1885 James Taylor and John Barret were working on a hay rick on the farm belonging to Mr Thomas at Fluxton . John fell 12 ft from the top of the rick sustaining fatal injuries to his head. Upon hearing his cries his workmate also working on the rick attempted to come to his assistance but also slipped and fell. At first he too was pronounced dead but after a short time he showed 'signs of vitality' and he was rushed to Ottery hospital where, lucky for him he made a recovery.
I found many reports of fires on the farms and out in the fields. Hayne Farm had a fire in February when it was so cold that ironically icicles were forming on the poor firemen as they worked. Mr Drew remembers that day, being in school and watching the flames and smoke rising whilst he was in the playground.
There were sadly far too many fatal shooting accidents. In Fluxton in 1826 Mr Carpenter, a surgeon from Ottery was found in a ditch with his chest blown away after he had climbed a fence and set off his gun. He was found by his friend Mr Yelverton of Cotley and died in his arms. Another Mr Yelverton in Metcombe met a similar fate when pulling on his boots. There is a very sad report of an inquiry of an incident in Coombe where in 1918 a young boy accidentally shot his sister who then died in her mothers arms. I cried all the way through the report. We forget how common place a shotgun was in the farmers yard. On finding the gun behind a door, the young 9 year old boy had not realised that it was loaded and took it to play with but unfortunately it exploded and his sister was blasted in the stomach. The Doctor was called for but it was devastatingly too late. She is buried in the churchyard at Tipton. There are many suicides too reported over the years, with hangings, gunshot and poisoning cases which are reported with such graphic details it can make for very traumatic reading.
The animals on the farms also caused many accidents too, with horses being the main culprits with them falling onto handlers and riders, kicking out and runaway horses with wagons running people over. In Northmostown a pig was reported to have attacked a baby and the mother had to run all the way to Sidmouth with the baby to get help for it.
Luckily today were hear far less about farming accidents. Health and safety has improved the workplace for the farmers and their families but I am sure that it still one of the more dangerous professions to be in, but nonetheless a very fulfilling one.
Maybe there are less accidents as there are less farmers today, you maybe more likely to be run over by a donkey on the farmland these days!!
