The day a world champion returned home to Tarrington
In October 1960 John Gwilliam returned home to Tarrington after his participation in the World Ploughing Championship held at Tor Mancina, Roma Italy. To qualify for the World Ploughing Championship John had first to win the British Ploughing Championship which he did at Ross on Wye in November 1959. Over 2 days of competition on 8th and 9th of October 1960 in Italy John Gwilliam won the title of World Champion Ploughman. John was the second Briton and the second Herefordshire man to win this prestigious title following Leslie Goodwin of Dorstone who was World Ploughing Champion in 1958.
John Gwilliam’s family were informed of his triumph by Mr Albert Lewis, the village school’s headmaster who John Gwilliam had telephoned from Italy as the Gwilliam family did not have a telephone.
On 13th October 1960 the newly crowned World Champion’s family travelled by train from Stoke Edith to London Paddington to meet him off his return flight to Heathrow airport. It was a long wait for their Hero to land, clear customs and give both TV and radio interviews. They were all treated with a meal in the West End of London. The family stayed for a few days with family in London whilst unbeknown to them Hereford organised a parade and civic reception. When John Gwilliam and his family return to Hereford by rail on the 20th October they were greeted at the Train Station by the Station Master and Leslie Goodwin. John Gwilliam was then mounted on a trailer with his father and his own trailer plough. The “Golden Plough” trophy was placed on a shelf at the front of the trailer. The parade left Hereford station and proceeded via Commercial Road, Blueschool Street, Widemarsh Street to High Town the parade then went through St, Peter’s Square into St. Owens Street to arrive at its final destination of Hereford Town Hall.
The parade was met by 4 household cavalry trumpeters, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Town Clerk and various other dignitaries. A civic reception was then held in the council chamber before light refreshments were served in the Mayor’s Parlour.
John Gwilliam and the family thought that was the end of the celebrations and the Reverend John Steele, vicar of Tarrington drove the family back to Tarrington in his Austin estate car. However, at Perton the cars stopped and John Gwilliam and his father plus “Golden Plough” trophy were again mounted on the trailer for a procession into Tarrington via Stoke Edith. It appeared that the whole village had turned out to greet John outside the “Foley Arms”. John was carried shoulder high by John Pritchard and Dudley Williams whilst carrying the “Golden Plough” trophy aloft. When he was put down at the entrance to the hostelry, he was greeted by his employer Mr Andrew Foley.
Photographers from the “Hereford Times” wanted pictures of John on his International B275 tractor which was, unfortunately, parked nose into the wall of the “Foley Arms” the wrong way around with no keys to start it. No sweat, John hot wired the tractor and turned it around and thus the photographs were able to be taken. For the photographs John Gwilliam was given a pint of beer by Vincent Preece the landlord of the then “Foley Arms”.
Eventually the reception moved inside the “Foley Arms” where a speech of welcome was given by Mr Andrew Foley and a reply was given by John Gwilliam. The family home at 124 School Road, Tarrington (now Vine Cottage) had an illuminated victory arch erected over the entrance pillars to “The Vine” and the house itself was floodlit.
Some 50 odd years later Philip Gwilliam, his wife Dale together with Philip’s sister Carol and her husband Ken got their hands on the “Golden Plough” at its retirement home in the “Helena Thompson Museum” in Workington, Cumbria. A new trophy was substituted for this original trophy in 1968. Philip had spent a long time tracking down the “Golden Plough” trophy to its now permanent home. To think that this trophy was kept under the bed by John Gwilliam for the 12 months that he held it. A replica of the trophy was John’s to keep, and it is still held by the family.
Mary Gwilliam, John’s wife died at Kington, Herefordshire in 1988 John Gwilliam died at Abergavenny, Monmouthshire in 2002 both are interred at Pembridge, Herefordshire.
John and Mary Gwilliam are survived by 4 children, namely Philip born at Pembridge, Rob born at Tarrington, Carol born at Tarrington, and Janet born at Kington in Herefordshire.
Philip Gwilliam
September 2021