As time progressed towards the end of the war, Mr Johnson bought 10.5 acres of land in Whixley with a £1,000 loan from his father.
Some of the grass was ploughed by a local contractor and Mr Johnson cropped it with Brussel sprouts, marrows etc for the first year.
As time progressed Mr Johnson began to crop with roses, ornamental trees and shrubs, ploughing out another acre or so each year.
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John Richardson
John started Rothwell Haigh Primary school when he was five, at the age of seven he passed the entrance exam to the junior section of Wakefield Grammer School, he stayed there until he left school just before he was seventeen. John particularly enjoyed woodwork and sport.
John’s long association with the village of Whixley had already begun as his Uncle Bill owned the garage whom he and his family would visit frequently.
John spent his childhood living in the Oulton and Rothwell area with his parents, sister Susan and younger brother Robert.
John’s grandparents owned Green End Farm in Carlton, near Wakefield where John spent much of his childhood. This is where his love for the great outdoors truly began.
