BOURNE IN PAST TIMES

A series of archive photographs

TEXT BY REX NEEDLE

 

Flax workers in 1920

Photographed in 1920

A popular crop for farmers in past times was flax and a small but thriving industry became established in Bourne during the early years of the 20th century, the plant being grown for its fibrous stems from which linen, paper and other products are made.
The cultivation of flax was particularly popular during and after the Great War of 1914-18 when the old grain warehouse in Burghley Street was converted for processing, providing a large number of jobs at harvest time for itinerant workers who flooded in from all parts of the country to take advantage of the seasonal opportunity to earn extra money.
As many as 500 casual workers were encamped annually on the Abbey Lawn for several weeks in a small tented town with a first aid centre and hospital, a canteen for meals and even a marquee which was used as a church.
The men were picked up from Bourne by lorry and then transported from field to field to keep pace with the harvesting which was back breaking work and involved long hours but they did have time off for leisure in the evenings and at weekends when they took part in the social life of the community, using the public houses, shops, churches and other amenities and many made friends among the local population.

This feature was also published by the Bourne Local newspaper on 2nd June 2017.

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