Oh – If only I had written it down

Which of course Bernard Liddle now has as he launches his long-awaited biography…

There is an element of prejudice with this press release which announces the arrival of ‘Oh – If only I had written it down’ a journey through my fathers’ life as a Yorkshire Farm Manager. Of course, we have had the Yorkshire Vet, then the Yorkshire Shepherdess and now we give you your very own Yorkshire Farm Manager – Bernard Liddle.

For anyone looking for the ideal gift for birthdays or Christmas, the 375-page book is a heartfelt, humorous, educational and historical read – spanning over 70 years spent in Yorkshire, together with snippets of worldwide travel. Over the last half century Bernard Liddle has been a character that gives his opinions and expertise and knowledge to all manner of people – and has always treated everyone the same whatever their background or beliefs, although many will have personal recollections and stories of their meeting with this strong Yorkshire character –Bernard’s recollections of these meetings are nestled and told in these memoirs in his own unique forthright fashion.

Friends and acquaintances will recall times over the years telling Bernard he couldn’t or can’t do something – which simply makes him all the more insistent to prove you wrong – true Yorkshire grit or dogged determination aside – Bernard has said for years that by settling family disputes over previous occurrences through referring to his daily page a day diary carefully written day in, day out for 40 plus years, he would at some point regale the same stories of his everyday life into a book- and here it is.

For many locals to Bedale and the surrounding area, the book through its 29 chapters shows the journey the Yorkshire Dales has made to modernise and evolve into one of the world’s leading holiday destinations.

For farmers and particularly dairy cattle enthusiasts the story shows how a hill farmer’s son from Nidderdale carved a career in the Holstein breed, landed a once in a life time job opportunity alongside Mr Ropner, and then ultimately helped the Dalesend herd to become one of the best herds in the UK until it all came to an end in 2011 – there were highs and lows with more than a few honest mishaps along the way – in true Bernard style the book often laughs at him as much as the others in the tales told. One highlight that made Bernard known and exposed to an even wider audience was when he served as a board member of Holstein UK and then during 2010-2011 was honoured to serve as President of that same breed society.

Of course, the book also has an underlying message that shows the strength of family and friendship – true homage to both is told again in the multitude of snippets of everyday life – and the book even passes as a free ‘good food and accommodation guide’ – pretty much worldwide.

One brief extract from the book is “Brian had given in his notice as the herdsman at Newton Grange, and earlier that birthday morning one of the men interviewed for the job, in fact I think the only one, because he came on a personal recommendation was a certain Bill Faulds - later to become known as Mr Bill. Another Scotsman who had originated from the Newton Stewart area but had been a long distance lorry driver, driven for Yorkshire Henebece in his purple trousers in the early days of ready mixed concrete, before returning to his farming roots and being an under-herdsman at David Ackroyd’s Nun Monkton Farms with firstly Shorthorns and later Friesians under the guidance of Joe Horner who later moved to Whitsbury Farm and Stud down in Hampshire as the Herds Manager.” this was a monumental part of Bernard’s Life, as he and Bill have been tremendous friends and colleagues for the last fifty years and their stories, adventures and friendship is as comical in the book as it is to anyone who has experienced it first-hand.

‘Oh – If only I had written it down’ by Bernard Liddle is available now and 25% of the proceeds of book sales will be donated to the Dales Centre, a local charity which offers friendship and food to the community and was founded by Mr Jonathan Ropner. The book is priced at £11.99 with postage and packaging in addition. Books will also be available at many local and national events such as the Great Yorkshire Show and UK Dairy Day, subject to Covid regulations.

For further details of information please contact Sarah Liddle, The Farm Organisation on 07710 795585 or email thefarmorganisation@outlook.com