Reg Carling

But he was still a special person and understood better than many what was important in life – country matters, family and doing a good turn when he could.

He worked on the land and lived his 79 years only a few miles from where he was born in the village of Bramham near Wetherby.

When he was 10, his family moved to farm workers cottages on Grimston estate near Tadcaster, where he remained all his life.

Reg Carling grew up in a very different age and talked of the children in rags with no shoes that he went to school with; how he and his class-mates were thrilled with a free handout of Wellington boots that arrived from a Canadian charity; and of how neglected children in the village would be reported to the visiting NSPCC officer – often by his grandmother.

His first job was as a butcher’s boy in Tadcaster cycling round with deliveries in the bike basket, but before long Reg applied for and got a job working for Mr Hughes who farmed round the village of Stutton.

He learned on the job and was known far and wide for his skill as a ploughman – the straightest furrow for miles!

In 1955 he married local girl Jean Bradford and, through his job on the farm, the couple got the cottage next door to Reg’s parents as a tied house. They were to live there for the next 56 years.

A young family quickly appeared and Jean had four children under six to care for – but with no running water, no electricity and no transport. Drawing water from a well in mid-winter and lighting the house with paraffin lamps was tough, and Reg began to apply for other jobs – but when his employer found out, he set about the conversion of the cottages the next week.

But Jean had to wait another 25 years before she finally got her heart’s desire – an automatic washing machine.

Over the next half century the Carling family grew to five children, 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

When his employer retired, Reg was taken on by another local farmer, Henry Easterby, and worked for him for 25 years.

After the age of 65, he was employed part-time by Grimston Park estate doing all kinds of jobs on the land. At home, his vegetable garden was a wonder, and Reg shared the produce freely.

He never travelled – seldom even to Leeds – because he couldn’t see the point when he had all he needed on his doorstep.

His legacy is a simple one – hard work, honesty, loyalty to friends and family, a sense of humour and a desire to help.

He will be sadly missed by many.