My Lincolnshire Long Ago is the story of two men - Bucknall farmer William Henry Young and his son Wilbert Marshall (Harry) Young who took over his father's mantle, not only as owner of Wheatsheaf Farm but also as one of the finest shots in the county. This often humorous, occasionally tragic, collection of stories is definitive of an era when horses pulled ploughs and shooting three rabbits a day provided the meat for the family's next meal. Read how, at a time when few people journeyed outside the county, William Henry Young, a staunch Methodist and teetotaller travelled the country thanks to his ability with the shotgun. His son (neither strongly religious nor averse to a few pints!) inherited his father's competitive instincts and skills, having gained his first experience of shooting at the age of four by killing flies with a cork gun. Covering life in and around Bucknall from the early Twentieth Century to 1949, My Lincolnshire Long Ago clearly illustrates the sense of community that existed in rural villages. W. M. Young's stories sum up the simplicity of life in those days, the value of friendship and the triumphs and disasters that frequently overtook small farmers and village folk in general. How he came to be known as Harry is explained in the book.

About the Author

Wilbert Marshall Young was born at Wheatsheaf Farm in Bucknall and carried on the family farming tradition until 1959 when, having been attacked and injured by a bull, he was forced to give up the land. He joined what was then the Milk Marketing Board as a milk recorder in Gloucestershire - where the milder climate aided his recovery - before moving on to Agricultural Central Trading, working in Herefordshire, Yorkshire and finally in Cheshire. He married Betty in 1949 and they have two children, Elizabeth and Charles and four grandsons. Prior to his retirement, the whole family owned and ran the Lincoln Castle Hotel in North Lincolnshire and after this was sold Harry (as he is universally known) and Betty travelled around Britain and Europe in a motor home for three years before settling in Hornsea in East Yorkshire. Having left school at 14 with no qualifications, at the age of 38 Harry took his GCE O Level English in which he gained a Grade B. He began writing these reminiscences of his early life in 1999. He still enjoys participating in both game keeping and shooting activities which have always been a major part of his life.