An interview with Eric Edwards, last of the true Norfolk marshmen.
Interviewer 1
How long have you been working at Howe Hill?
Eric Edwards
I started in 1967 as an assistant marshman,
to the Old General they used to call him the old Head marshman.
Interviewer 1
Was you a boy or a teenager?
Eric Edwards
I was quite young when I started; I had a few years on the farm, but I went reed cutting in ’67.
Interviewer 2
When you first started,
how long did it take you to get used to cutting?
Eric Edwards
A good two to three years.
Using a scythe is a very skillful job. If you don’t hit your reed very low with the scythe, you’ll smash it every time.
And I learned the hard way,
because the more you break it the more you’ve got to mend it, if you know what I mean, because it takes time.
Interviewer 2
Do you mind being called the last marshman?
Eric Edwards
Not really.
I suppose what they mean is that I’m the last marshman probably who used a scythe.
The reed cutters that are coming along now mainly use machines.
Interviewer 1
. Would you prefer it if people were trying to use the olden materials?
Eric Edwards
I’d like to see them use both. I think there’s a place for a scythe but also a place for a cutter. And I think they both work together, depends on the conditions.
Sometimes in the winter
you get very high water levels,
when you can’t use the machine, but you can use the scythe because you can cut underneath the water.
And it’s better than sitting at home; if you’re a self-employed reed cutter, if you sit at home you’re not earning any money to support the family.
But if you go with the scythe and cut under the water and get a few bunches each day at least you’re getting some material cutting and earning the family a bit of money.
