TILLEY

Herbert Hague

Herbert Hague was born early on 9 February 1888 at a very awkward time in the small hamlet of Storrs. The hamlet was practically isolated by snow and the doctor had the greatest difficulty in getting to Hazelhurst Farm where the family lived, clambering over stone walls and across fields to get there.

Despite all his mother’s troubles bathing and feeding him he grew into a strong, healthy lad. Herbert helped his mother and father and his Uncle Levi with all the jobs associated with farming. He also attended the small local school which his future wife Edith Platts also attended the same year. Under the guidance of Miss Sykes progressed with his reading, writing and arithmetic. Miss Sykes had a love of choral music and one of her favourite pieces was Auld Lang Syne. The scholars aptly changed the words into for the sake of old Lass Sykes.

Work was hard. Milk had to be hand-delivered and many were the gallons Herbert delivered by pony and milk float. No bottles in those days just an urn can and measure. Herbert then went on to wear proudly the uniform of the fire service. Not driving a shiny motor-driven fire engine but two galloping horses pulling a coal-stoked boiler which worked as a water pump to squirt water on fires. At that time firemen duties included working with the police driving a horse-drawn black Maria, driving a horse-drawn ambulance and collecting corpses which needed to be kept for the coroner. Herbert remembered bringing a dead man from the King’s Head pub stood upright down the fire engine ladder-lift.