World War Two

The plaque says, 'Baron Smith's Almshouses were completed in 1761 by the relatives and executers of the Rt Hon John Smith Esq. 1656-1726 who was born and lived in Frolesworth. He was Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Scotland and one of the Barons of the Exchequer in England and provided in his will for the building and maintenance of an almshouse for fourteen residents. There are now sixteen cottages and major improvements were carried out in 1965.'

Mr Ball: In the Second World War I had - how many Land Girls working for me? – Rose Metcalfe, she was a parson’s daughter, Isa Willis, another Land Girl, I had about four, all Land Girls. You know, couldn’t keep up with the work because all the heavy work I had to do myself (laughs). So I decided I’d apply for prisoners. I had Italian prisoners, I think we had four or five of those, and then we had a German, and a Finnish. ‘Course they all lived – fed at the house, lived in the orchard.

Interviewer: Could they all speak some English, enough to understand what you wanted them to do?

Mr Ball: Well they usually sent, like they did in the First War, they sent a fellow out that could speak reasonable English. He was one that you could fall out with really because he was the fascist, he thought too much of them. Italy was going to win the war…

Interviewer: Not Germany, Italy?

Mr Ball: Italy, well, he was Italian you see. When we captured the first island in the Mediterranean, I forget what it was, I said, ‘It’ll be Sicily next’, says, ‘You’ll see Mr Ball, you’ll see, I know, I know.’ After we got used to the others he had to go back – well, as a matter of fact they got ringworms off the cattle, and we couldn’t cure them. We dressed them while we could see them, but he couldn’t be dressed so he had to go in, the two of them went in and they sent us some more you see.

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