BASC MAGAZINE

[marsh man]

Just been reading the new BASC magazine and there is a interesting write up about the guides who took people out on the wash shooting, the only one I ever met was Kenzie Thorpe I had a yarn with him at one of the game fairs in the 60s on the W A G B I stand , I remember he had a long wax jacket on with Kenzie The Wild Goose Man written on the back in white letters and he went through all the different bird calls which you could shoot waders in them days , what I did regret was spending all my hard earnt money in the beer tent instead of buying one of his paintings which were only about 15 quid, I say only but that was a lot of money then. I wonder if there are any guys on hear who went out with him or even any of the other chaps they wrote about, if there are I would love to hear about the times before we hang our guns up which is rapidly looming up.

[strangford wildfowler]

Just been reading the new BASC magazine and there is a interesting write up about the guides who took people out on the wash shooting, the only one I ever met was Kenzie Thorpe I had a yarn with him at one of the game fairs in the 60s on the W A G B I stand , I remember he had a long wax jacket on with Kenzie The Wild Goose Man written on the back in white letters and he went through all the different bird calls which you could shoot waders in them days , what I did regret was spending all my hard earnt money in the beer tent instead of buying one of his paintings which were only about 15 quid, I say only but that was a lot of money then. I wonder if there are any guys on hear who went out with him or even any of the other chaps they wrote about, if there are I would love to hear about the times before we hang our guns up which is rapidly looming up.

 

His book was very good so it was

[Big Mat]

I think it'd take the whole BASC magazine to recount all the tales of the wash guides!

 

Some of the older chaps in the clubs often talk about the old guides and days of old. Interesting to listen to.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Big Mat

[panoma1]

Don't think Kenzie wrote a book? Colin Willock (Town Gun in the shooting times) wrote about him in the book Kenzie the wild goose man!

P1

[Penelope]

Marsh Man, have a look at these. I guess that there will be plenty more on their website that would be of interest to you regarding rural life in East Anglia.

 

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/330

 

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/87211

[happy.plinker]

Great films, he must of been a real tough old school character,your lucky to of met him.

[marsh man]

Thanks for that Penelope.......I have seen them both, quite a few times in fact, I like the silent one as it seems to show what he was like when things were at a slower pace than they are today. One of my days out in the near future is to visit his grave in Sutton Bridge and to look at his headstone , I have looked up the grave number and all ive got to do now is to find where in the graveyard it is. I kept the flight feathers of the last Pinkfoot I got and I am sure he would appreciate them more than a bunch of flowers.

[birdsallpl]

Hi Penelope

Do my eyes deceive me or are they Barnacles in the 2 nd film about frame 4:45? The first time I watched it I thought they had black heads and flew like Canada's. Second time I thought they were white and the black went down onto the breast to far for Canada's.

But didn't seam dumpy enough for Barneys. Ashamed to say I'm not sure.

Did you have Barneys on the wash then

[Penelope]

Yep, Barnies. Black neck extends down onto the breast.

 

Maybe a bit of stock film edited in for effect or remnants of Scott's Lighthouse collection gone free fly.

 

Hi Penelope
Do my eyes deceive me or are they Barnacles in the 2 nd film about frame 4:45? The first time I watched it I thought they had black heads and flew like Canada's. Second time I thought they were white and the black went down onto the breast to far for Canada's.
But didn't seam dumpy enough for Barneys. Ashamed to say I'm not sure.
Did you have Barneys on the wash then

[birdsallpl]

Thanks Penelope, that probably explains it. Good old Peter.

[Klammer]

About 35 years ago, I was starting out on my first trips to the foreshore as a junior member, and I was fortunate to be mentored by one of the gents mentioned in the article. My father taught me as much about wildfowling as he possibly could, but Harold Elsegood taught me about the Wash and all of it's dangers.

[bobshooting]

My Dad, with my Uncle John and Dave Southgate helped build Kenzies houseboat, he's mentioned in Willocks book, they were all mad keen Wildfowlers in a time when there were few rules, all ignored.

 

I know my Dad didn't think much to Colin Willocks nerve, he got the ''wind up'', if they went after the Geese where they shouldn't have, but maybe he had more to lose.

 

I went with them many times, when I was maybe 12,13,14, this would be the mid 1960s-ish.

 

They all reckoned that by then the best was gone, too many Gunners, too many cars making access easy, but in my memory there weren't many out at Sheps and only once did we find someone where he wanted to be. I learned some new words that day.

 

It all seems a long time ago, but I do remember that they were as hard as nails and that none of them seemed to notice the cold, but I bl**dy well did. I'd been brought up in a softer age.

[marsh man]

Hi Bobshooting.... I am sure your right they did seem hard as nails and no doubt they had the same sort of fowlers all round the coastal fowling grounds, but I think the east coast had more than there fair share, only recently they buried a chap near mine who blew his leg off in a punting accident when he was a teenager, because the damage was high up his leg they couldn't fit a false leg so he made his own crutch to get about, he carried on shooting and to get from a to b he had a carrier bike with a fixed wheel which he tied his gun and crutch to the cross bar , and how old was he when he died ? I believe he was 80.

[fenboy]

Thanks for that Penelope.......I have seen them both, quite a few times in fact, I like the silent one as it seems to show what he was like when things were at a slower pace than they are today. One of my days out in the near future is to visit his grave in Sutton Bridge and to look at his headstone , I have looked up the grave number and all ive got to do now is to find where in the graveyard it is. I kept the flight feathers of the last Pinkfoot I got and I am sure he would appreciate them more than a bunch of flowers.

 

Thanks for that Penelope.......I have seen them both, quite a few times in fact, I like the silent one as it seems to show what he was like when things were at a slower pace than they are today. One of my days out in the near future is to visit his grave in Sutton Bridge and to look at his headstone , I have looked up the grave number and all ive got to do now is to find where in the graveyard it is. I kept the flight feathers of the last Pinkfoot I got and I am sure he would appreciate them more than a bunch of flowers.

If you do that be sure to call in for a cuppa , I live in the same village where Kenzie is buried , when I was a nipper his garden almost backed on to ours and he used to keep injured geese in it

You cannot really miss the church yard its only a few hundred yards on the left as you come over the bridge and into the village.

[kent]

Glad to say there are still a few "characters" out on the marshes they are just a bit quieter having no income from fee paying clients to seek out

[marsh man]

 

If you do that be sure to call in for a cuppa , I live in the same village where Kenzie is buried , when I was a nipper his garden almost backed on to ours and he used to keep injured geese in it

You cannot really miss the church yard its only a few hundred yards on the left as you come over the bridge and into the village.

Thanks for your kind offer Fenboy I might take you up on that, the first time I went Sutton Bridge I left my wife in Kings Lynn and told her I would be about 2 1/2hrs . I got off the bus at the Bridge Hotel and started to walk down the Nene to the East Lighthouse , I didn't realise how far and how long it take to walk it I got up to the chaps car park and I ran out of time and had to turn round and make my way back to get the bus, it took me about 1hr 45mts to walk both ways. the next time I went by myself on a open day at the Lighthouse when Mr Joel kept it and had a lovely day he showed me round and let me look at the Peter Scott paintings he had, a very nice and friendly person. When I left I had a bit of time on my hands and had walk round the footpath I came across the new bench put there in memory of Frank Harrison. While sitting there looking over the wash I knew if I lived round that way I would have been hooked for life.......what an incredible place.

[fenboy]

Yes it is a nice part of the world , shame we seem to be becomming the arm pit of lincolnshire , with first the power station and now plans for a gasifier / incinerator , I think as we are right on the border the decision makers think they will put these things as far away from themselves as possible !

 

There are big changes going on at the east bank lighthouse , there is going to be a brand new visitors centre there I believe , not sure if / when it opens

though.

 

My house is about a mile from the west bank lighthouse .

Edited July 10, 2014 by fenboy

[B725]

I have been out shooting with Frank Harrison and Sid Wright it was worth paying their fee's just to sit and hear the tales that they came out with,the only thing is that we will very rarley see the likes of these men again I have also had the pleasure of shooting with Trevor Amos he is a great guy and his wife too

[marsh man]

I have been out shooting with Frank Harrison and Sid Wright it was worth paying their fee's just to sit and hear the tales that they came out with,the only thing is that we will very rarley see the likes of these men again I have also had the pleasure of shooting with Trevor Amos he is a great guy and his wife too

Like Big Mat said if all the tales were written down they would have filled a book, I for one would have had a copy , weather you could have believed everything in it, well that's another matter. I once took a sea fishing party out who came from around Boston way who done fowling as well around the wash, they were telling me Kenzie didn't always get on with some of the local fowlers, well we wont ever find out why , people like that don't normally take any prisoners.

[Norfolk Rogue1]

hello marsh man did know that cobholm chap who they buried last week name fyer they came from cobholm close i think

[Grandalf]

My mentor was Sid Wright in early 60's. Difficult bloke to get on with but he and I clicked. Poached with him on a few occasions. To him I was always 'Ben my boy' and his first question was 'How's the plane(ing) going'? (I was a pilot in the army in those days). Did moon flights and widgeon flights and countless morning and evening flights. He couldn't stay off the marsh. Long after he said I was ready to fowl the Wash marshes on my own I still used to go out with him because I enjoyed his company and the endless good banter. Trouble was that I lived down near Reading in those days and the travel up and down was a killer. Worth the effort though. Now I'm an old man, who still manages to get out a bit, but I have some super memories. Stories that Sid used to tell would make your hair, I had some in those days, stand on end. With hindsight I should have written it all down.

Did a couple of trips with Frank Harrison and he was a true gentleman - Lovely fellah.

Kenzie wasn't shooting much then - He was dong talks for the RSPCA and similar. Super stories from him - whether they were all true or not really didn't matter. All good entertainment.

Fowlers are always good company.

[marsh man]

Had a lovely day yesterday in Sutton Bridge, I went there to look at the headstone of Kenzie Thorpe who was my fowling hero, having looked round for 10mins and not finding what I was looking for I went to ask the chap who was cutting the grass who looked like Kenzies double . I found out from fenboy his name was Mr Portas and what a fascinating chap he was , been a hardened fowler all his life and well known in the area, not only did he show me Kenzies grave he also showed me Loyd Thomson ( puntgunner ) , Sid Wrights, and Mr Bromleys who Kenzie said in his book he was one of the hardest men he knew ( he must have been like granite ) he also pointed out a few more of his friends who were fowlers in there time and I thought to myself if this lot got together underneath the moon god help any duck or goose that went over them as there chance of survival was virtually nil. I would have loved to have stayed longer and took up the offer of having a cup of tea at Mr Portas, but I had a 3 1/2hr bus trip back to Yarmouth but hopefully one day I will go back, all in all a day to remember.

[teddy boy]

went fowling with frank Harrison a number of times. I was a lot younger than him but he seemed tireless. the memories of those days live within for ever.

my wife never met him but remembers him well. I used to pick him up and take him back to our meeting place. I removed my waders before driving but frank never did,

though he cleaned them well, on this particular day he hadn't been so thorough. dropped him off then went on to pick up my wife later. she got in the passenger seat and I heard this UGH,

the mud from franks waders was now on the back of her legs. great chap.