The Free Gardeners History started in 1848. The first annual meeting was held at Huddersfield and it started at 2d per week and you got 2/- if you were sick and 5/- when you died or something like that. It continued until 1916 when it had to be postponed until after the war. The aims of the Society were to provide sickness benefits for people who go through bad times, sickness, hospital. My mother first signed me when I was about twelve, she signed me at the office there. It provided sickness benefit, it provided funds for hospital. In those days there was no help with hospitals. It provided endowment, they paid in for a long term endowment and got a lump sum after, paid glasses, teeth all them benefits. It was a Godsend to working people in those days. I think my mother paid 6d per month when it started but it went up and you were paying about £1 a week for hospital and everything. There were different grades of level. Some people paid for just sickness benefit, some paid for sickness and death benefit, some paid for sickness benefit, death benefit and the whole hog. You paid what you could afford. In about 1960 we started the hospital scheme. That was a good thing. If you were in hospital you got so much per day. There was a bus that took you to the hospital, it picked it up at the Lightstrung and took you to either to Kettering or Northampton. There were two buses and they were free, they used to wait there until you came back. I think they ran Sundays or did they run Saturday and Sunday. I think the Saturday bus went to Northampton and the Sunday bus went to Kettering.

The Free Gardeners met at the bottom of Portland Road, it has been converted to a house now. During the war it was loaned to Jack Osborne for a store room for his goods, wireless things. Then, in 1956 we had an office on the High Causeway opposite Townsend’s Garage and then we moved back into our old office and we were there until the amalgamation with the Order of the Druids in 1996 which is now where the members have been transferred to. It still pays out its sickness benefits to members and an annuity to all members, funds for teeth, glasses, hospital, you name it. I have received more, a hundred times more out of the Free Gardeners than ever I have paid in, and I’m still receiving benefits for teeth, glasses, hospital.

There was no ritual when you joined, I think you were just proposed and seconded. When you became the District Marshall there were rituals 'I promise to serve the society to the best of my ability' that sort of thing etc. There were no secret signs. Although they are called the Sheffield Society of Druids there were no secret signs, I don’t think friendly societies have any secret signs. We didn’t have any uniform but there was regalia. That would be the Masters, a ribbon with a badge on the bottom that says 'United Order of Free Gardeners'. If you were on the board management of Free Gardeners you wore this, a beautiful sash, royal blue with red stripes edged with gold trim. You started on the board as the Outside Tiler, then the Inside Tiler, then the Deputy Master and then the Grand Master. You each had a different sash. You can have those if you like for display.

Free Gardeners' Sashes and Badge

Did religion or politics play any part? No I wouldn’t think so, probably more leaning to Labour because of the beverage thing. It was non political really. The role of women, they were on equal footing if they paid. My wife, Joan, she was on an equal footing with the men. She joined just after we were married in 1960 and became the minute secretary. The minute secretary had a ribbon. Then she went on to become the lodge Master, then on to the District President. She was the first lady in the Northampton district to become the District President; in fact she was the only woman to become District President. She went on the board of management and just as she was becoming a Grand Master, the same as me, they changed the rules to say people had to retire at a certain age to allow younger people to take it on and so she never became the Grand Master, unfortunately.

Why did it cease, well like every organisation it lost lots of members. The National Health really took over, people didn’t want to save any more so they dropped out and they relied on the National Health. So after years of declining membership we joined the Sheffield Order of Druids which guaranteed us all our benefits as before. At its height of popularity we had a thousand people in the organisation in Rushden. We were the biggest lodge in the Northampton District, in fact we were probably the biggest lodge in the order. There was a lot of lodges at the annual conference - Barnsley, Bedfordshire, Walsall, Brierly Hill, Cottingham, Gainsborough, Heckmondwhite, Huddersfield, Leeds, Moulton.

I played cricket for Rushden Town. I played football for Rushden when I came back on leave from the army. I had been on an assault course for four days up in Scotland, and the trainer said. 'Just the man we need to play on Saturday'. I said. 'Yes, I’ll play'. He said. 'Come training'. I said. 'Not likely'. I wasn’t going training. He was a bit huffy but I wasn’t going training after all that. I played cricket and football for Rushden Town, I played golf for Rushden. I joined the choir "Wellingborough Orpheus" competitions for the town after care, chairman of the British Legion. Do you know Jack Tear? Yes, a good friend of the Society, lived along Cromwell Road.

I became chairman of the British Legion for about five or six years, I became Vice President. I’m still with the British Legion but I’m not Vice President, I’m with the benevolent committee now. It deals with old soldiers that are in need, there is great need now. Problem case now when his wife has left him and he’s got no money. I'm still involved with the British Legion, sing in St. Mary’s church choir, play bowls for Rushden Town. It was a good active life. You have to keep active.

I’ve got my garden. I grow me own broad beans, kidney beans carrots. Unfortunately we couldn’t have any children. We’ve got a lovely lot of relatives, of my sister’s children. People now are not so neighbourly, I suppose it’s because of the television. When I was little next door used to come in for a cup of sugar or a loaf of bread. You used to lend them it and they would pay it back. You don’t know so many people any more. So many newcomers in.

I went to Harpendale and stayed with a lady on the lake and her husband was shot down in 1940 around Norfolk and she married again and her second husband had his arm blown off and it was sabotage. He was working in the munitions and her first husband was shot down. When I came back I thought I would find out where he was buried. So I wrote to the local British Legion and they found her husband’s grave in Norfolk and there were four of them all buried in the same cemetery. So I went and I took a photo of his grave and sent it to the lady that I stayed with and she was ever so pleased, she didn’t know where it was, and also every year I place a wreath on that grave in honour of her husband. That was a wonderful occasion.