After working for a poultry farmer in Bromsgrove, he decided to set up on his own, saw an opportunity to buy a smallholding by Paddock Cottage, Wilstone and bought the property by bidding at an auction.
Harry married his wife Inger soon after the war started. Inger was an Austrian citizen and though she was classified as a ‘Friendly Alien’, they had to get special permission from the Colonel of the local Home Guard to get married. Harry’s son Michael recalls his father saying that he felt that coming to Wilstone was like ‘moving into paradise’.
Harry’s first move into business was free range poultry farming and he was soon producing millions of eggs which went to Deans Eggs at Gubblecote for packaging. During the war Harry gained a high level of expertise producing animal feed for his own poultry and soon after he began supplying this to other local farms.
The success of this move led to the construction in Wilstone of Glasser’s mill in the early 1960s and Harry and Inger’s sons, John and Michael, joined in the running of the business. For a time in the 1990s, Glassers were the largest producer of organic food in the UK but it was not to last. The Glasser family had the foresight to see that farms were becoming larger and fewer and most were able to produce their own animal feed. The business was closed down in a planned way, thus avoiding the inevitable decline.
But the contribution to Wilstone village life made by the Glasser family over more than 50 years will not be forgotten.
For more detailed information and the family recollections of wartime life in Wilstone, read ‘Finding Paradise in Wilstone‘
3 Comments on “How the Glassers came to Wilstone”
Sue Gascoine
says:It’s Aways Good To Know The History Of The Area You Grew Up In !! My Late Husband Told Me Much About Local History He Said It Was Important To Know Where You Come From !! So Thank You For Sharing About The Glasser !! It Was Really Interesting !!
Gordon Parsons
says:I am 71 and hoping my unwell sister in Colchester. She started talking about when she and our mother with my other sister who is now 84 whilst my elder sister is 87. She started to say how grateful they were to the safety and kindness shown to them by the Glasser family which from what I can gather went beyond what was required. When my parents were later in life left London and retired to Aylesbury and maintained contact with the Glassers for many years after the end of WW2. As the youngest I was fortunate enough to miss all the negative things about being evacuated but would like to add my thanks to the Harry Glasser family and to any of current family I may not have not know you but my heart and thanks goes out for the wonderful way my family were treated by your family. My mum and dad never forgot this and often talked fondly of the Glasser and padock cottage during dark days when my father was abroad a lot with the royal artillery.
I would love to visit Wilstone before it’s to late as I was born in Marsworth in 1953 but would love to see where my sisters and mum was cared for so well and where they happy memories they had of the Glassers.
Gordon Parsons.
Ian rance
says:I was very good friends with your sisters Valerie my age and Jaqueline remember your mother bringing over the hot drinks in her big urn in the winter to the school my mother was good friends with your mother as both our fathers were with the eighth army and they lived in little cottage annexed to paddock cottage give your sisters my love hope they are okay I live in tring