John Charles Bird
Let the wealthy and great, roll in splendor and state,
I envy them not I declare it.
I eat my own lamb
My own chickens and ham
I shear my own fleece and I wear it.
I have lawns, I have bowers, I have fruits, I have flowers.
The lark is my early alarmer.
So Jolly boys now, here’s God speed the plough!
Long life and success to the farmer!
Obituary
John Charles Bird (G3GIH) died peacefully on 1st September 2024, aged 93. Much loved and missed by all his family, near and far. Private burial. Celebration of his life to take place next summer. Donations, if desired in memory of John to The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.
Summary of his life
Apart from the final months spent in a care home and his years at boarding school, John lived in Suffolk all his life. And he lived in Euston for longer than anywhere else.
He and Wendy began their 67 years of married life at Grange Farm Euston, and against all the odds they made a go of farming the challenging sandy soil. We, (Belinda, Jen and Amanda) were all born and grew up there and the views around the farm are imprinted on our minds, part of our internal architecture.
John was a farmer foremost, but he was not only a farmer. He was a radio amateur and electronic hobbyist for over 70 years and a lifelong lover of music (with eclectic tastes!). His love of music was something he turned to in times of stress and it particularly helped him to cope with his failing eyesight. At the care home he became known as DJ Bird!
"Hanging up his wellies" in 1987, he exercised his formidable intelligence to become a database programmer after Wendy and he seized an opportunity to embrace and teach themselves about the world of Personal Computers. John continued to work in this second career for over 15 years and he loved it.
In 1997, he was very chuffed to find the perfect bungalow in Great Ashfield in which he and Wendy could live out their later years in comfort (and he could benefit from excellent Ham radio reception!) Many family members have enjoyed staying there for extended visits. But it was back in Euston that he wished to be finally laid to rest and, when the time comes, Wendy will join him there.
At times, he railed against the frustrations and restrictions of the farming life, but he had a love of the wide open countryside and of being his own boss. He was also embedded in the local farming community - which meant lots of people would end up chatting for hours in our kitchen, often the only warm room at Grange Farm Euston! His detailed knowledge of the estate and surrounding area was built up over many years of game shooting and the fact that his parents and grandparents before him had farmed in Troston and Honington. Bird family ancestors have been rooted in Suffolk and Norfolk for many generations and John kept many photos and papers documenting this, which have now been passed down.
John was an unwavering and unconditional supporter of his wife, children and grandchildren, never questioning their life choices. Along with unconditional support he was immensely proud of his family’s achievements, be they academic, sporting or whatever. Always outnumbered in gender as a result of having three daughters, as well as three sisters and two sisters-in-law, he would often sit quietly in the background during family meals or gatherings, sometimes "hiding" behind his newspaper. Was he focussing entirely on solving his beloved cryptic crossword or was he sometimes listening in? We never knew for sure. He had a wonderful sense of humour, and a wide selection of ‘broad suffolk’ anecdotes to entertain with. He was also a very good speech-maker as he demonstrated at Vicki’s wedding when, at 87, he was in top form.
He will be remembered by the care home staff as someone who never complained and "didn't want to be a bother". He was kind, very self deprecating, and always the gentleman. He aged and died gracefully.
Gallery
Memory wall
As a family living at the Troston farm we felt very privileged. We had good arable land supporting successful crops on the whole, and meadows with trees and lovely birds. We lived in a spacious farmhouse with rooms big enough for all our developing needs. The garden had good soil like the farm and my mother Eve was an avid gardener. The orchard had manifold fruit trees with copious varieties of apple. The apples tasted much better than they do in the shops today, in particular the early Worcester Pearmain, but most of all the Cox’s Orange Pippin.
There were hens, ducks and geese which provided daily collections of fresh eggs. And six Suffolk Punch cart horses, which eventually gave way to tractors.
Eve would spend all day upside down in the garden weeding or in the greenhouse. She developed the Mrs Bird tomato. A small oval red tomato in vine formation – divine! At least 20 pairs of swallows would visit in the summer and build nests all along the guttering and under the eaves. When John introduced his future wife Wendy and her mother and father into our family, I think we became aware of the privileges we had living on the farm.
Jane was the boss of the family! She would stimulate John and they would talk endlessly together (well within my earshot). I was the awkward one, and they would say “do we have to take Judy with us?!”
Sally was the sweet afterthought and John sat her in her pram and tried to teach her rude words like “heavenly bosoms”.
John was very clever and got interested in making things like a radio, television and transmitter. This created an interesting pursuit of radar and transmitting. One day he joined two tins together with a long piece of string between his bedroom window and a loft in the barn opposite where we girls were parked. Actually we heard the conversation through the air outside the tins and string.
During the war planes crashed on the farm and deposited petrol tanks. John split them in half and made two boats, one for him “the Oozlam Bird” and one for Jane and me “Dilly of the Duck Pond”.
John worked with our father on both the farms; at Troston where we lived and also Honington, the grandparents’ home. Later after he married his wife Wendy, he moved to a farm on the Euston estate. He worked hard and for many hours of the day. We used to say “where is John?” and the answer would be “not in yet…”. He was a very good shot and controlled the farm pests and provided delicious food from rabbits, partridges and pheasants. He also developed an interest in rifle shooting with his best friend Patrick (Pag as we knew him in the family) and they went to Bisley many times.
When John was not working he spent many hours in the loft inventing things. He made a television so that we could watch the Queen’s coronation. We all sat on bottomless chairs in the attic. The colouring was green and black, not black and white.
I am sure his desire to listen to music later in life had many influences. At school he learnt the flute. He would be used to hearing Eve, when she was not in the garden or painting, ramping up and down on her Bechstein. She had acquired this piano from money obtained by growing sweet peas and sending them up to Covent Garden by train.
His sister Jane played the violin and piano to a very high standard and later took up singing, and had a very lovely voice. (Note: Judy was of course a very accomplished cellist, which she doesn’t mention here!)
John’s parents Harold and Eve must have had a strong influence on him. Although they fought like cats and dogs, they provided a stable background for us all. He shared hobbies of shooting, fishing and snooker with Harold and music with Eve.
John, apart from all these interests, developed his own, and we greatly admired him.
Judy Bird
Celebration of Life
Summery buffet lunch
Afternoon Tea
Evening BBQ (bring your own)
More details to come.
Euston, Nr. Thetford,
Norfolk, IP24 2QG
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