Notes on Reg Kent (and Half Hides farm)
See interview tape 184
See photos M744-M748 at Half Hides farm. Reg is on right of photo M748 with bike.
Address in 1999 when interviewed: ‘Rosanald’, Manor Road, Hatfield Peverel
Born about 1930.
Was at Half Hides for a short time in 1950s with parents and brother(s) when late teens or about twenty.
Residences.
His family moved about a bit. The order is a bit confused. First lived at Great Leighs. Later at Willingale, there when Reg 16 and he worked in a garage for a bit but left. Then with father to Bridge House farm, Hatfield Peverel. Not long after, Reg went to work on another farm and carried on with farm work till married, sometimes with his father, sometimes other places.
Probably father had a little farm at Stisted before going to Half Hides in Witham, which was a bigger jump, then at one point he said they went from ‘Half Hides to Queenborough, Queenborough to Stisted, Stisted to Mersea. We had a lovely five hundred acre farm at Mersea’.
After they left Mersea Reg married at age of 25 and lived in his father in law’s tied cottage in Hatfield Peverel and then he helped a builder build their own cottage on a plot belonging to his in-laws, where still live. Left farmwork and worked in Crittall’s for two months but wouldn’t join Union so left, started digger driving until stopped by ill-health.
Family
Father: Spencer Kent. Mother Dorothy (Doll) Kent. Eldest brother also Spencer but known as John. A middle brother worked at Cullen’s seeds when they were in Witham. A sister married a soldier and went to live in Poplar. They visited Half Hides and their son is on photo M744 (he’s now in Australia).