The Gaskins family had come to Cophill Farm from Gloucestershire in 1943 when Peter, only child of Cecil and Dorothy Gaskins, was just six years old. Their 240-acre dairy farm, with its large herd of pedigree British Friesians, took some working and mechanisation became important.
During the war farmers needed a government permit to purchase tractors as metal was prioritised for the war effort. Both the Fordson Standard N and the Case on spade lugs (either a C or the bigger L - Peter can’t remember!) were worn out and Peter’s father had been waiting for 18 months to buy a Case LA from agricultural dealers Taylor & Jones of Monmouth when, out of the blue, Taylor & Jones offered Cecil Gaskins a Field Marshall Series One which had just come in and been cancelled by the farmer who ordered it.
So Marshall tractors have been part of Peter’s life since 1946. The Field Marshall Series One was ideal for heavy work
