1946

'For what avail the plow or sail
Or land or life,if freedom fail'

The Goderich Signal Star, September 12, 1946

Sentinel Review October 10, 1946

Several Oxford County Plowmen were successful contestants at the Middlesex plowing match at Thorndale yesterday.In the tractor open sod class,Albert Roberts,Woodstock,was second,and Murray McBeth,Salford,fourth.In the open sod,jointer class,Harry Blackman,Ingersoll,and Fred Howard,Woodstock, were third and fourth respectively.

The IPM resumes on Tuesday,15th Oct. at Port Albert Airfield near Goderich in Huron County.The 1946 IPM is called the Victory Match.Open counties day (Tues.) for Huron ,Perth,and Bruce; Gordon McGavin was OPA president;J.A.Carroll was secretary manager.
A war veteran's class, introduced by Gordon McGavin in 1945, was held by all three counties. Alex Kerr of Seaforth,who served overseas with the Elgin Regiment of the Canadian Armoured Corps won for Huron.The winner of the Perth veterans event was Norman Dow of Staffa,who served in Italy with the First Canadian Divisional Signals.Winner in the Bruce veterans class was Hugh Simpson of Teeswater;He won with a team of mules.

Tuesday's plowing (23 events) were held on airport land.Heredity showed itself when 11-year-old John McGavin won first place in a tractor class,open to boys up to 16 years;John is the son of Gordon McGavin; He was coached by his grandfather,81 year old John McGavin.

Hunger in Europe and Britain in the winter of 1946-47 was not aided by rationing and continued government wartime controls. Mr.C.Gordon Cockshutt of Brantford,president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce stated,"Canada's wealth must be created by enterprising free men working in a free environment",not by a socialist government stymied by labour strife,wartime controls,and an outmoded system of taxation. Canada could not permanently control a country so large as the Dominion without covetous eyes being cast on it.(sounds like 2017).New immigrants of any one race should not be allowed to colonize any one section of the country.They should be spread through the populace as a whole."Canada must increase production" he said.

The Stratford Beacon Herald, October 15

The Beacon reported on Knox United Church,Embro,114th anniversary,- Guest speaker Rev.Charles Leslie,professor at Victoria College,Toronto was introduced by Rev.O.Glen Taylor.The choir sang two anthems in which solo and duet parts were taken by Miss Ethel McCorquodale,Miss Helen McLeod,Mrs.James Fleming,Peter Smith,and Laurence Mckay.

Stratford Beacon Herald, October 16

GOERING SUICIDES IN HIS CELL NUREMBOURG

Hitler's number two man takes capsule of poison,hours before cheating the hangman.He left intelligence officers trying to determine how he got,concealed,and took the poison.Ten other Nazi leaders walked to the hanging trap without collapsing; Next day the Beacon reported his death was being closely scrutinized.The source of the cyanide pill is a mystery.Twelve people are under scrutiny.The Allied Control Council's Commission which conducted the executions disclosed that it had three notes Goering left in his cell,but said the contents of the notes would not be divulged.

The Beacon Herald, October 16

Tuesday(open counties day,23 classes),10 were confined to farmers from Huron,7 from Bruce,and 6 from Perth; Elmer Armstrong,St.Paul's won first for Perth; James Hogg,Seaforth was first for Huron.There were 47 classes in total;Free trips to Britain for the first and second prize winners in the championship class. A horse shoeing competition was held for 3 days,Wednesday,Thursday, Friday. In the Friday,open competition,contestants were required to make a horseshoe from a straight bar,toe clip it,and fix it in position. Viscount Earl Alexander, Governor General of Canada opened the match.

Number 4 aircraft hangar,measuring 160X225 feet was filled with livestock and field produce exhibits of Huron county.All four hangars that once housed R.A.F.planes were filled with exhibits.Urbanites from Stratford went out to help the farmers with their harvest,after they had finished their regular work.1946 was a bountiful year in Perth county and the labour shortage was felt greatly.Oxford spectators and competitors made the trek to Port Albert.Rain the previous week had softened up the fields to a point where they were "just right" for the glistening shares.

Albert Roberts farmed on Concession 3,Lot 8,Blandford township.He drove the Silver King tractor towing his plow in a two wheel trailer from Eastwood to Port Albert. Albert's brother Bill,bought the Silver King new in 1939.When Bill went into the air force,Albert took it over.The Silver King had a fast road gear,-28 miles per hour.Albert stopped at the Queens hotel in Stratford for lunch;Albert's lunch,according to Howard Bruce, was a barley sandwich and two bottles of beer. He arrived in Port Albert before dusk. He won first prize in a tractor class on Wednesday.On Thursday, he placed 8th in class 13. He placed 7th for the Robert Simpson Co. trophy,(a tractor class). Tom Roberts(Alberts son) lives on Hughson St.Woodstock.He said Albert used to play the accordian at Stratford radio station.Tom and his siblings used to gather round the radio and listen.Albert called square dances too with Fred Chesney playing the violin.Albert passed away Dec.10,1973.

Sentinel Review, October 18, 1946                                                                                             Beacon Herald, October 18,1946

SIX NATIONS INDIANS ARE PLOWING CHAMPIONS

Two Indian boys from Six Nations reservation, John Capton Jr.and Bill Buck scored the highest point total in inter county junior farmer competition against 11 other teams.

Beacon Herald, October 19, 1946

PERTH MEN GET FREE TRIPS TO BRITAIN

Austin Nairn and George Waldie of Stratford will be included among five plowmen who are to receive all expense tours to Great Britain. George Waldie is to be manager of the group.The trips go to the winners of first and second place in each of the horse drawn and tractor drawn plowing championship events.Horse event was won by Floyd Steckley of Stouffville.Tractor championship event were won by Fred Timbers of Stouffville and Alex Black of Guelph.

Tuesday's paper announced the 1946 Oxford match, a full page, with ads from Woodstock dealers.

 OXFORD COUNTY PLOWING MATCH AND HORSE SHOW FARM OF A.LOCKHART-FRIDAY OCTOBER 25
Keen competition is expected for the various special prizes.

The "Salada Tea Company Special for 1946" is a cash award of $10 for the best land in the jointer sod classes (horses only) plowed by a resident of Oxford County. The T.Eaton Company special for the best plowed land by a three furrow tractor is a Chippendale design silver salver valued at $20. This is open to Oxford county plowmen. A cash award of $10 has been put up by Howard Lefler of Woodstock for the best plowed land by a two furrow tractor, open only to Oxford County. For the best plowed land with a row crop tractor by an Oxford plowman John Hargreaves has offered five bushels of registered oats with a choice of Beaver or Ajax. R.A.McDonald, Cockshutt implement dealer in Woodstock has offered a walking plow, No.21, valued at $27 for the class open to Oxford county boys 20 years of age and under. Clark Murray, Woodstock has offered two prizes of two dollars each for the youngest plowman and the oldest plowman, both in the regular classes. Competition will also be open for the East Zorra Plowmen's Association Memorial trophy.This trophy is awarded annually at the plowing match for the best plowed land by a county plowman using either team or tractor. In addition to the plowing competition a horse show will be held with prizes donated by the Woodstock Agricultural Society. In the show there will be four classes: for draft teams of Clydesdale, draft teams of Percheron or Belgian, wagon teams, plow teams.A fifth class to decide the championship team will be held with the prize of $20 donated by the Canada Permanent Trust Company.

The effort and planning that went into the 1946 Oxford match was comparable to the IPM held at Port Albert the previous week. Honorary presidents were: K.P.Daniel, M.P.; T.R.Dent,M.L.A.; J.Winston Nichols,warden; Harper Hammond,past president. James Livesey and Fred Howard were vice presidents, secretary was G.R.Green, County Agriculture representative, Norm Shelton was treasurer.
The committees; Plowing teams: Ben Ball, Albert Roberts, Fred Bertrand, and James Neil; Grounds: W.Grenzebach, E.V.Kennedy, George Bell, John Chesney, Arthur Lockhart, Ben Ball, Fred Howard, Doug Start, Albert Roberts, Fred Bertrand, and Jack Griffin; Machinery exhibits: Murray Gray,               G. Matheson, J.Hargreaves, W.A.Muir, W.Corp, B.Sutherland, M.McBeth, Clare Peers, Arnold Gee; Education Exhibits: Clare Peers, Sam Bambury, Allan Thomson, G.R.Green, Harper Hammond, H.E.Longworth; Lunch and Entertainment: E.V.Kennedy, Warden J.Winston Nichols, Harper Hammond, H.E.Longworth, Godfrey Bragg, Jack Griffin, Lawrence Granger, M.Betteridge, Harry Little, Leslie Curry, Robert Livesey, Wesley Cuthbert, Wilfred Cockburn, H.A.Bishop. Prize List: E.V.Kennedy, W.Grenzebach, Harper Hammond, Norm Shelton, A.D.Robinson, John Hargreaves, G.R.Green, Albert Roberts; Horse Show: Harper Hammond, J.E.Nephew, G.Innes, H.E.Longworth, R.J.Forbes, William McIntosh; Field Men: Leroy Curtis, L.H.Sibbick, Osmond Murray, T.Cooper, Ross Carroll; Announcements: Jack Cockburn, Jack Simpson; Lunch: served by the Bond's Home and School Club.

Those who entertain the idea that the horse will become obsolete as a source of farm power in Canada are entirely wrong,according to Grant McEwan, Professor of Animal Husbandry at University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. The wise farmer will keep a team or two of good horses to do work which can be done cheaper by horsepower than by tractors. Over 9000 Canadian horses were exported to France and Europe in 1946. Canadian horses were used for police work in the British West Indies,Barbados,and Bermuda.Range horses from the west in large bunches were not encouraged because they were difficult to handle, but big quiet brood mares that raised gentle farm colts were in great demand.

The fourth annual Oxford match featured a home improvement exhibit for the farm wife and a show of electrical appliances for the home while hubby was out turning the sod for prize money. Lands adjoining the Lockhart farm (Mr.Godfrey Bragg) were reserved for parking. A display was arranged between the Deptment of Lands and Forests and the Oxford Fish and Game Protective Association. The Junior Red Cross of WCI again held their tag day on the grounds. It was anticipated to be the biggest county match ever held in Oxford County, but on Friday morning Oct. 25 the plowmen were all gathered in a large tent under pouring rain awaiting a possible turn in the weather.

Sentinel Review, Saturday, October 26, 1946, pg 5

With fine weather and a smile on the face of the president E.V.Kennedy, the Oxford match started after a postponement yesterday due to rain. There were 16 teams and 21 tractors entered.

The Daily Sentinel-Review, Woodstock-Ingersoll, October 28, 1946

RECORD CROWD SEES FRED HOWARD WIN CHAMPIONSHIP
AT OXFORD PLOWING MATCH

Fred Howard, R.R.3 Woodstock was proclaimed champion plowman at the fourth annual Oxford County Plowing Match held on Arthur Lockhart's farm Saturday. Mr. Howard placed first in the horse drawn class,open to Oxford county for plowmen who had not won first prize in this class three times since 1943 was awarded the East Zorra Plowmen's Association Memorial Trophy (for the best plowed land with either team or tractor). The Salada Tea Company Special was also won by Mr.Howard. A record crowd of 6000 watched the 51 competitors. L.G.St.Clair of R.R.4 Ingersoll won the award for the championship team in the horse show, a new feature of the plowing match program. The feature which drew the most attention was the special class open to non-farmers.The class attracted 10 entries all trying for five dressed chickens. Plow handy farmers and city folk laughed heartily as some of the inexperienced non-farmers struggled with the plow and team. Three rows of farm machinery and equipment were strung across the north end of the field. Ed Dutton, president of the Oxford Fish and Game Protective Association exhibited a table display of Oxford county birds.Behind Mr.Dutton was a bank of evergreen trees brought from the first county reforestation plot in Zenda. These were planted in 1939. Farmers Magazine sponsored a home improvement exhibit.A model farm was displayed flanked by a stand showing colored photographs of prize winners in home improvement contests. A number of these were photographs of farm homes in Oxford.

The 12th Annual Ingersoll Junior Farmers match was held at Doug Wilson farm, Whiting St.Ingersoll on Wednesday 30th October,1946.                 

Oxford 1946 results

Kenneth Howard (left) holding the T.Eaton Co.trophy; Fred Howard (right) holding the Salada Tea Co. Special for 1946, and the East Zorra Memorial Trophy (centre).  

Murray Long