b'Dorothys StoryDorothy Beaumont left Longley Hall Grammar in Huddersfield at the age of 16 and started work in a woollen mill as a mender. Dorothy was 18 when she joined the Womens Land Army. When the war started she wanted to play her part but her mother was resistant to the idea of her joining the forces.Dorothy came to Bishop Wilton with another Land Army girl who lived very close to her in Huddersfield, Dolly Jessop. They were both billeted with the Burgess family at No. 13, Jim and Rowena Burgess and their two sons, Malcolm and Ken. The billeting officer in the village was Mr Garforth, a retired butcher and Chapel preacher. Dorothy and Dolly would have been provided with bikes to get around on.To begin with Dorothy worked for Allan Ripley who ran threshing machines and then she worked up at Wilton Wold farm for the Beaulahs and Longhorns. Frank remembers her tenting cows up on the top road. She worked a six-day week with Sunday off. With double summer time there were extra hours to work.For entertainment, apart from local events like the WI Concerts, there were dances in the surrounding villages. At Bishop Wilton a dance started with a whist drive and at 10 oclock the tables and chairs From left to right: Christine Gutierrez, Dorothyswere cleared and dancing followed until about 2 am. daughter; Malcolm Burgess; Frank Beaumont,Malcolm was determined not to sit out at the dances, Dorothys brother; Anne Beaumont, Franks wife. so Dorothy and Dolly used to walk him through Outside No. 13 where Dorothy lived with thedances like the St Bernards Waltz.Burgess family. Dorothy came from a Chapel family but at Bishop Wilton she went to the Church as well. She sent seven also lived in Yorkshire, in a rather obscure villagepostcards 2of the village home to her family so that called Bishop Wilton. Frank then regaled him with histhey could see where she was living; the cards would knowledge of the village and how it came about, andhave dated from the 1930s, and were all black and further revealed that he had been the custodian of awhite.set of pre-war postcards of the village until recentlyRowena did all the washingshe acted as motherfollowing Dorothys death he had passed them onto Dorothy and Dolly.to her daughter Christine. Steve announced that hisThere was no bathroom at the Burgesss just a tin sister Kate and her husband Mike were very involvedbath in the wash house.with the Local History Group, and would undoubtedlyMalcolms Memoriesbe very interested in the postcards, and any otherMalcolm was 4 years younger than Dorothy information that Frank and Anne could provide. Beaumont. He recalled visiting the Beaumonts in From this chance encounter, Frank and AnneHuddersfield during the war years,remembering journeyed forth to Bishop Wilton to call (unannounced)where they lived (Carr Green Lane) and the local pub on Mike and Kate. This first meeting led to a second(The Jolly Sailor) and even where Dolly Jessop lived in one in late May at which Dorothys daughter Christinerelation to the Beaumonts. Malcolm was intrigued by was present, and a surprise guestMalcolm Burgess,the different words for things in Huddersfield - sweets son of Jim and Rowena with whom Dorothy hadwere called spice instead of goodies and a clothes been billeted 62 years ago. Suffice it to say that manyhorse was called a winter hedge.memories of those years were relived, and all the oldMalcom recalls that Dorothy was a good singer photos produced in a get-together that lasted forand he accompanied her on the piano at home when the best part of five hoursall most interesting andshe was rehearsing for a WI Concert, singing a song entertaining, but most of all totally unexpected! entitled Cowboy riding through the sky. Malcolm 2All seven postcards are part of a Bishop Wilton series published by R. B. & E. D. Richards, Birchinlee,Strensall, York. The series goes from 1 to at least 10 with additional views inserted as 1A, 3A etc.122 BULLETIN 8'