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Bottom right:- Land Army Girls, taken on a trip with customers of The Horseshoes PH, Darts Club at Southend |
The Womens Land Army (WLA), colloquially known as the Land Girls, was formed at the outbreak of World War II to work on the land, freeing the male workers to go to war. By 1943 there were some 80,000 young women working in every aspect of agriculture to feed the nation. With their uniform of green ties and jumpers and brown felt slouch hats, they worked from dawn to dusk each day, milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting crops.
With the outbreak of peace the WLA remained in existence doing vital jobs on the land until demobilisation was complete. The WLA was formally disbanded in 1950. |
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Womens Land Army girls came from every walk of life, such as office girls, waitresses, shop assistants and factory workers but without exception they said they preferred the countryside and the freedom of an open-air life. On joining the W.L.A. every girl was supplied with two green jerseys, two pairs of breeches, two overall coats, two pairs dungarees, 6 pairs of stockings, three shirts, one pair of ankle boots, one pair of shoes, one pair of gum boots or boots with leggings, one hat, one overcoat with shoulder titles, one oilskin or mackintosh, two towels, an oilskin sou'wester, a green armlet, and a metal badge, After every six months of satisfactory service she received a half-diamond cloth badge which was sewn on the armlet: after two years service a special armlet, and a scarlet armlet to replace the two year one after four years service. In fair weather or worse, the girls of the WLA worked extremely hard to grow food for the nation. For those workers under eighteen years of age they would receive 22/6d and for the over 18`s, 28/- for a forty-eight hour week. Hostels were built at Lakenheath for 120
girls, Leavenheath 70 girls, Risby 25 girls and other places. The purpose of the Hostels was to accommodate
the girls who will be sent out to farms each day to work. For a start
they will go to farms that are being run by the War Agricultural Committee(WRAG),
whilst some will be allocated to individual farms.
Their last weeks pay
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Research Alan Beales 2011 |