Students and instructors at Raby Castle 1951
Photographs are courtesy of John Keenleyside, Forres who took the photograph.
Standing in among the students are Mr Weir, Instructor Head forester from Keilder centre with flat cap and Mr Leitch, Head Forester Raby on his left. Mr Leitch was in charge of their Nursery.
John goes on to say ‘This course run jointly by the Forestry Commission and The Royal Society of England and Wales from March to June 1951 was attended by 15 students some from the Forestry Commission, Private Estates, Local Authorities and Students of Consultants. The aim was to widen the experience of candidates and prepare them for higher grade posts within the F.C. and the private sector.
The instructor was Mr Weir from Keilder in Northumberland. He was the original Head Forester in charge of that vast border Forest. Lecturers on specialist subjects came out from the York Conservancy Office. Mr Leitch the Raby castle Head Forester provided the working sites and kept an eye on the quality of the work as they had very high standards on that estate. There was an examination at the end of the three month course but the F.C. set their own exam and those that did well were offered foreman posts within the F.C.
The REFS awarded the Woodman’s Certificate to those who passed their exam, the main part of which was skill in felling trees. A tree was selected by the examiner. The candidate had to round it up with an axe and lay it in to determine the direction of fall, a pin was placed in the ground to show where the tip of the tree was expected to land. A mate was allocated for the crosscutting operation but the candidate had to be in charge to ensure that the tree fell in line with the pin.
After felling, the examiner measured the deviation from the selected line and distance of the tip of the tree to the pin. The axe and saw were also examined for sharpness and correct maintenance. The pass or fail decision came by post at a later date, with the award of the Certificate to successful candidates’.
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Groups: Forester Training Schools and Universities, Groups of people