BERT GRIPTON

[Barrie 1,325]

Respect to you barrie for giving your time to add some great information and photos to the thread. It appears that someone was telling lies about the book.

 

It is a crying shame that a proper book was never done on the man, especially during the hay days where otterhunting and badger digging was legal. It would have made some read!! JD

 

I’d much rather say they were mistaken. When you get a man of Bert’s stature, a man who absolutely lived for his hunting more than anything else in the world and far beyond any material possessions. And who without doubt and quite rightly became something of a legend, it’s inevitable there will be a fair share of myths crop up too.

 

Nevertheless if we are to respect someone’s memory properly, then it’s important to keep the records straight. I’d much rather the man be remembered and spoken about for the things he did, rather than something he didn’t and that’s the sole purpose of my posts. Towards the latter end of his life Bert did often refer to “my book”, when maybe he should have said planned book. I suspect that, combined with Bert’s high profile in a couple of Drabble’s books may well be the root cause of any mistakes made.

 

I was and still am very fond of Bert. I grew up in the industrial Midlands (often referred to as the Black Country) at a time when there was limited private transport and “outsiders” were viewed with great suspicion by rural hunting communities. At that time Bert opened so many doors for us at every level and in a way that very few men ever could. The mere fact that we were in his company gave us an automatic badge of acceptance. He did it so willing and readily, that it’s something I shall never forget nor could ever repay (I’m sure there are several others on this forum who will know exactly what I mean and have also shared in that experience).

 

Whilst on the subject of accuracy, there was a post several years ago on what I believe was one of this forums predecessors. It was a photograph of Bert with Thatch under his arm and an otter’s pad between his fingers, along with the claim that it was the last otter legally killed in Wales and that it was caught by Bert.

 

I was there the day that photograph was taken by Jim Meades and later published in the then Shooting Times. The otter in question was a 21 lb dog otter caught by the Border Counties Otterhounds at Llandinam in either 1975 or 1976 and otterhunting continued up until the end of 1977. The published hunting report of that day said that “Bert bolted the otter” which caused some merriment at the time with many saying “I’d have bolted too!!!”. But the real credit must go to Thatch who worked her little heart out that day.

 

Bert was presented with the pad by Mr R.P. Williams the Master/Huntsman and the mask was presented to David Jones who was in his first season at the David Davies Hounds which were and still are kenneled at Llandinam.

 

I’m grateful to Stig for having started this thread. I may have digressed somewhat and for that I apolgise, but for me at least it has brought back some very fond memories of what I will always regard as a more civilised era.

 

Y.I.S. - Barrie

Edited January 19, 2010 by Barrie

[Foxgun Tom 75]

Barrie's contributions to this thread have been a delight and a joy! thanks Barrie for the insight

 

Tom

[gonetoearth 5,144]

Respect to you barrie for giving your time to add some great information and photos to the thread. It appears that someone was telling lies about the book.

 

It is a crying shame that a proper book was never done on the man, especially during the hay days where otterhunting and badger digging was legal. It would have made some read!! JD

 

I’d much rather say they were mistaken. When you get a man of Bert’s stature, a man who absolutely lived for his hunting more than anything else in the world and far beyond any material possessions. And who without doubt and quite rightly became something of a legend, it’s inevitable there will be a fair share of myths crop up too.

 

Nevertheless if we are to respect someone’s memory properly, then it’s important to keep the records straight. I’d much rather the man be remembered and spoken about for the things he did, rather than something he didn’t and that’s the sole purpose of my posts. Towards the latter end of his life Bert did often refer to “my bookâ€, when maybe he should have said planned book. I suspect that, combined with Bert’s high profile in a couple of Drabble’s books may well be the root cause of any mistakes made.

 

I was and still am very fond of Bert. I grew up in the industrial Midlands (often referred to as the Black Country) at a time when there was limited private transport and “outsiders†were viewed with great suspicion by rural hunting communities. At that time Bert opened so many doors for us at every level and in a way that very few men ever could. The mere fact that we were in his company gave us an automatic badge of acceptance. He did it so willing and readily, that it’s something I shall never forget nor could ever repay (I’m sure there are several others on this forum who will know exactly what I mean and have also shared in that experience).

 

Whilst on the subject of accuracy, there was a post several years ago on what I believe was one of this forums predecessors. It was a photograph of Bert with Thatch under his arm and an otter’s pad between his fingers, along with the claim that it was the last otter legally killed in Wales and that it was caught by Bert.

 

I was there the day that photograph was taken by Jim Meades and later published in the then Shooting Times. The otter in question was a 21 lb dog otter caught by the Border Counties Otterhounds at Llandinam in either 1975 or 1976 and otterhunting continued up until the end of 1977. The published hunting report of that day said that “Bert bolted the otter†which caused some merriment at the time with many saying “I’d have bolted too!!!â€. But the real credit must go to Thatch who worked her little heart out that day.

 

Bert was presented with the pad by Mr R.P. Williams the Master/Huntsman and the mask was presented to David Jones who was in his first season at the David Davies Hounds which were and still are kenneled at Llandinam.

 

I’m grateful to Stig for having started this thread. I may have digressed somewhat and for that I apolgise, but for me at least it has brought back some very fond memories of what I will always regard as a more civilised era.

 

Y.I.S. - Barrie

[/quote .apolgise carry on barrie its allways a plesure

to read your memories of the past ,

[Barrie 1,325]

great post heard loads about the man when i was a kid . i only lived 5mile away but never met him was told by somebody he was anti pheasant shooting was this true thankz dicky

 

Hi Dicky

 

During most of the early years that I knew Bert, along with his terriers he also kept a few hounds. He regularly used them to drive foxes for local gamekeepers and did a pretty fair job of hunting them too. So although he wasn't a shooting man himself, I'd hardly say he was anti shooting, just that his affinity was much closer to terriers and hounds.

 

Nevertheless, it's a simple example which serves to reinforce my earlier comments about the sort of myths which do spring up and which then risk getting repeated as if they were fact.

 

Y.I.S. - Barrie

Edited January 20, 2010 by Barrie

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Excellent read thanks for posting, he sure lived and breathed hunting....