Land girls: disquiet on the home front - Telegraph World War Two Land girls: disquiet on the home front Britain’s land girls, who helped feed Britain during the Second World War when young farmers were away fighting, are on the defensive as a new book highlights their wartime ‘exploits’. Image 1 of 2 Molly Stevens, from Charlbury, Oxfordshire, spent the Second World War in the Land Army. She is pictured here in 1944, working a hay turning machine. Photo: John Lawrence Image 1 of 2 Molly Stevens, a former land girl now aged 83, at her home in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, recalls dancing with American soldiers. 'Some of the girls were flighty, but it was wartime.

We didn't know how much time we had left.' Photo: John Lawrence By Julia Llewellyn Smith How Land Girls helped feed Britain to victory in WW1 - BBC News BBC News How Land Girls helped feed Britain to victory in WW1 By Neil Prior BBC Wales news 26 February 2014 Image copyright Imperial War Museum Image caption The Women's Land Army played a vital role in World War One Three million British men fought in World War One, but just as important to the war effort were the women they left behind. By 1915 Germany's best chance of victory lay in starving Britain into surrender through a naval blockade, so the country had to become more self-sufficient in food. At the start of the war Britain produced just 35% of the food it ate. So the work of the Women's Land Army was vital in the Allies' victory. World War One at Home What did war do for women? While the formation of the Women's Institutes in Wales helped conserve food, it was the Women's Land Army (WLA), or Land Girls, who took on the task of producing it in the first place.

Britain's food imports made up around 50% of the country's requirements, so when Germany successfully mounted naval blockades in 1915, the country faced a problem. Then, in 1917, the harvest failed and Britain was left with just three weeks' of food reserves. Famine loomed. The Board of Agriculture set up the Women's Land Army and over a quarter of a million volunteers flocked to help. Agnes Greatorex from Cardiff left a life in domestic service for the very different world of Green Farm in Ely, Cardiff, now a hostel for homeless people. As part of the BBC's All Our Lives series in 1994 she went back to re-live the day she swapped the front parlour for the milking parlour. She said: "We had to get up at five in the morning for milking, and then we'd have to take it up to Glan Ely hospital. After that - especially during the winter - we'd have to muck-out the cow sheds. Then we might get half an hour for breakfast.

Image caption Farms like Green Farm in Ely were vital to Britain winning the war on the home front "I'd be out there picking up stones from the field or cutting hay, and I'd be as happy as a lark." She believed that, although her work on Green Farm was equally as arduous as that in service, being a Land Girl gave her a glimpse into the future. The Land Girls of WW1 Image copyright Imperial War Museum Image caption A member of the Women's Land Army milking a cow. By 1918 there were 20,000 Land Girls They milked cows, ploughed, herded and even thatched In 1919 the WLA was disbanded as men returned home and imports resumed In WW2 the WLA was re-established and, at its peak, there were 80,000 Land Girls "When I became a Land Girl I thought that's it, I'm independent," she said. "I had a pound a week, not as much as the men but a lot still - there was no-one to boss me, no more running around at the beck and call of the cook. "I think the First World War did change women.

Because once they'd had a taste they wouldn't go back to service, they were free." Indeed it was not just the Land Girls' lives that would never be the same again - women not only had to help feed the nation, but also plug the gaping hole in labour left by the millions of men off fighting. For the first time a door had been opened on previously male-only professions such as the railways, engineering, police and fire brigade. And as much as women helped shape the outcome of the war, the war also helped shape the outcome for women. Swansea University's WW1 historian Dr Gerry Oram says that after the Armistice, the government had little choice but to acknowledge this new reality. "There was little point in pretending anymore - women had proved they could take on any role a man had done, and they'd played an enormous part in winning the war," he said. "The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919 made it illegal to exclude women from jobs because of their gender.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Two college girls sawing a log as part of their agricultural work in May 1918 "This followed the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which enfranchised 8.5 million women, giving them a voice in Britain's government for the first time." But male attitudes were slow to catch up with this new reality, a point demonstrated by the fact that the voting age was set at 30 for women, as opposed to 21 for men. And whilst the inter-war years did indeed bring new found prosperity and freedoms for some women, for many more the hard-fought recognition proved little more than lip service. Dr Oram believes that nowhere did old habits die harder than in Wales. He said: "In theory women had legal protection, but the reality of the situation was that the economy was so depressed following the war that there simply wasn't the jobs for them to go into. Image copyright National Railway Museum archive Image caption Women worked on the railways to help keep Britain moving "Add to that the amount of seriously wounded men coming home who required constant care, and in many instances women's lots were actually considerably worse after 1918.

"The Sex Discrimination Act was at odds with other legislation which promised servicemen their pre-war jobs back when they returned, and given the post-war collapse of heavy industry in Wales, there were even fewer jobs to go around here than elsewhere. "In fact in Wales women had comprised 27% of the labour force in 1911, but that actually fell to 21% by 1931." But even if post-war economic hardship delayed many of the social changes Welsh women had hoped for, according to Dr Oram there was nevertheless a lasting effect. "Yes, there were fewer women working in Wales, and many of those who were working had been forced to go back to the domestic service they'd been trying to escape," he said. "But after WW1 they travel further afield for employment, to London etc, and their horizons begin to broaden. This is when you start to see many of the Welsh societies springing up outside of Wales. "Economic activity is just one way of measuring social change; after the war women travel more, are better educated, and start to have a greater voice in politics and the arts.

"Even if there wasn't an immediately noticeable benefit, there was however a shift in attitude, a sense that things could be different, which fed into social change later in the 20th Century." The Women's Land Army - History Learning Site The Women’s Land Army Citation: C N Trueman "The Women’s Land Army" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 20 Apr 2015. 16 Aug 2016. The Women’s Land Army played a fundamental role in Britain during World War Two. The Women’s Land Army helped to provide Britain with food at a time when U-boats were destroying many merchant ships bringing supplies to Britain from America. Members of the WLA sawing wood The Women’s Land Army was first created during World War One. This was an era when a great deal of farm work was done by men. With so many young men called up for the armed services, there was a real gap in farm workers. Hence, the government called on women to fill this gap. The same situation arose in World War Two – home grown food was needed and the men were not there to harvest it. Hence why the government resurrected the WLA.

The women in the WLA did all the jobs that were required to make a farm function normally – threshing, ploughing, tractor driving, reclaiming land, drainage etc. Their wages were set by the Agricultural Wages Board. The wage for someone in the WLA over the age of 18 was £1 12 pence a week after deductions had been made for lodgings and food. There was an agreed maximum working week – 50 hours in the summer and 48 hours in the winter. A normal week would consist of five and a half days working with Saturday afternoon and Sunday off. Along with their weekly pay, all members of the WLA who was posted more than 20 miles from their home would receive a free rail warrant for a visit home every six months. However, their pay came from the farmers themselves and there is evidence that WLA members were paid less than the accepted rate by some farmers who tended to overcharge for accommodation and food. Also during harvest time, many WLA members worked from dawn to dusk and easily eclipsed their 50 hour week. In World War One, the WLA had been set up at very short notice.

This time, many knew that war was a real probability and plans for the WLA were made in the 1930’s rather than at the last minute. Though the WLA came under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, it was given a honorary head – Lady Denham and her home, Balcombe Place, became its headquarters. For its work to succeed, the planning for the WLA had to be excellent. England and Wales were divided into seven regions. Each region administered itself but reported to Balcombe Place. The seven regions were served by 52 county offices. Each county office had its own administrative force. In this way, the WLA had an organisational unit right down at farm level and inspections of farms could be carried out with a degree of regularity. Women who wanted to join the WLA had to be interviewed and given a medical if they passed the interview. If accepted, training depended on just how much farms needed work done within a region. In theory, new members of the WLA should have been taught a number of farming issues, such as milking cows, drainage etc. In reality, such was the demand for food, that what was learned was done on the farm and as time went on.

Many members of the WLA literally learned ‘on the job’. Though the WLA had the word “army” in its title, it was, in fact, a civilian organisation. Women were recruited by the farmers themselves and, if they did not work sufficiently well, could be dismissed from the farm’s service. Also, women could move to another farm if they wanted to. There were ways for WLA members to express their grievances with farmers as well if they felt that they were being unfairly used. The uniform of the WLA was functional. Women who worked on farms got dirty so by the very nature of their work, day-to-day uniforms were suited for the task as opposed to being fashion statements. WLA service dress The day-to-day uniform of a WLA worker consisted of brown corduroy or whipcord breeches, brown brogues, fawn knee-length woollen socks, a green v-necked pullover, a fawn shirt and a brown cowboy style hat. For special occasions, WLA members wore their service uniforms as in the above photograph. When working, many members of the WLA adapted their working uniform to suit themselves. In the summer, the breeches frequently became shorts.

To begin with, farmers were reluctant to use young female workers on their farms. Theoretically, they should have had no choice as there should have been a dearth of young male labourers in the early stages of the war. In fact, the call-up of young men was slow and many farms found that they had their full compliment of male labourers and members of the WLA. In the initial stages of the war, many members of the WLA went back home from their farms as they had nothing to do. Those who did stay on their allotted farm, were frequently used for domestic work in the farm house as opposed to farm work -despite WLA rules that they were not to be used for domestic work as they were ‘outdoor’ workers not ‘indoor’. The command structure of the WLA mirrored society as a whole. Those who ran the WLA both at a national and regional level tended to be from middle class rural backgrounds. Those who actually worked on the farms, tended to be from the cities or industrial areas of England and Wales. “The girls came from all walks of life and various parts of the country. We had some from Yorkshire and London. It must have been quite a culture shock for them.

I, having been born in the country, didn’t feel quite so bad.” Iris Walters By 1943, Britain needed more and more food as the U-boat campaign hit hard. By the end of the year, Britain was less dependent on overseas supplies as the work done by the WLA was sufficient to keep Britain in food. The WLA continued in existence even after the war had ended. Food rationing continued after the war and the WLA continued until 1950 when it was disbanded. During the time of its work, the WLA had provided 90,000 women to work on the land and had kept Britain in food for the duration of the war. Though Britain had rationing, no-one actually starved during this time – a testament to the work done by the WLA. h2g2 - The Women's Land Army in Britain - Edited Entry The Women's Land Army in Britain Content from the guide to life, the universe and everything The Women's Land Army in Britain Created The Land Army fights in the fields. It is in the fields of Britain that the most critical battle of the war may well be fought and won.

Lady Denman, 1939 In 1939, the farming community of Britain greeted the idea of a Women's Land Army (WLA) with scorn. It was the view of those who worked the land that it was no place for a decent woman. More than 100,000 Land Girls and 11 years later, it was the once-sceptical National Farmers' Union that protested the most when the WLA was officially disbanded. How can such a change of heart be explained? The WLA set out to replace men in the fields, the milking parlours and the forests for the duration. That it achieved that goal so successfully, is down to the great vision and organisational skills of Lady Denman, the WLA's Director, and to the hard work, dedication and cheerfulness of thousands of girls who met the challenge and kept Britain fed for over a decade. World War One The roots of the WLA lie in World War One. Germany successfully mounted naval blockades on Britain's food imports, which made up 50% of the country's requirements. There was an acute farm labour shortage because workers were needed for military service and horses were commandeered by the forces.

In 1917 the harvest failed and Britain was left with just three weeks' reserve of food. Famine loomed. The Government's Food Production Department acted with alacrity and set up the Land Army. Lady Trudie Denman (of the fledgling Women's Institute) was appointed to organise the WLA and by 1918 there were 23,000 Land Girls at work milking, ploughing, herding and even thatching. In 1919 the WLA was disbanded as men returned home and shipping once again delivered food to Britain. The Second Women's Land Army On the eve of World War Two there was a recognition that Britain needed to grow more of its own food, to avoid the near disaster of 1917. Subsequently, between May and September 1939, farmers were paid £2 per acre of grassland that they ploughed up, for what was known as the Battle for Wheat. The aim was to have two million acres of grassland ploughed in time for the 1940 harvest. The target was reached in April 1940.

Alongside the policy for increased food production, there was a realisation that there was a shortfall of around 50,000 agricultural workers, due to decades of emigration to urban factory work, recruitment into the forces and then general conscription. It was to fill this gap that the WLA was reborn. Despite praise in 1918 for the WLA from politicians and farmers alike, by the time it seemed inevitable that Britain was facing war again, its re-establishment was met with suspicion and derision. Nonetheless, Lady Denman was appointed Director and she used her experience from the previous conflict to good effect. She set up systems for recruitment, enlisting, training, placements and welfare of Land Girls. On June 1st 1939 the second WLA was officially formed and recruitment got underway. The first two groups of Land Girls were trained before war broke out in September. The girls were interviewed to see if they were suitable, then were given a medical examination and enrolled. The official minimum age was 17, but some lied and became Land Girls at 16 or even younger. It wasn't hard to get into the WLA.

One girl stated that she didn't have flat feet or varicose veins when asked by a doctor and was accepted with no further examination. Another who wore glasses, was asked to read a sheet of letters of diminishing size. As she struggled to undertake the request, the doctor said Never mind, I suspect you'd see a charging bull and passed her. Life then changed and gave many new Land Girls a rude awakening. Life in the Women's Land Army All Land Girls were issued with a uniform, which became synonymous with healthy, outdoor living. For walking out 1 they wore laced brown brogue shoes, baggy brown corduroy breeches and knee length fawn socks. A green V-necked long-sleeved ribbed jumper was worn over a fawn aertex shirt, with the WLA tie for formal wear. And on their heads they wore brown felt porkpie-style hats. A three-quarter length waterproof brown overcoat finished the outfit. Brown dungarees, a matching jacket and wellington boots were issued for work clothes. Most Land Girls had been barmaids, waitresses, maids, hairdressers, mill workers before joining the WLA. Some had joined straight from school.

Few had ever worked the land and many had not lived in the countryside. More than a third of the girls came from London and the industrial cities of the north. They were insulated from country life and they did not always understand what was required of them, despite their introductory training. The reality of being a Land Girl was far from being that depicted on the glamorous recruitment posters. At the outbreak of war, the average wage for a male agricultural worker was 38 shillings a week, well below the national average wage of 80 shillings a week. Thanks to Lady Denman, Land Girls were awarded a minimum wage, but this was even less than their male counterparts would receive. They earned just 28 shillings a week, half of which was typically deducted for board and lodgings. Once a girl had worked six months, and if she was working more than 20 miles from home, she was entitled to a free journey home, courtesy of the WLA. However, there was no set holiday entitlement, paid or unpaid. It was left up to individual farmers to decide when a girl could take time off.

At the start of the war almost all the Land Girls lived in lodgings or billets near to, or actually on, the farms to which they'd been allocated. These could be cottages with the families of other workers, or in the farmhouse with the farmer and his wife. Few such houses had baths or readily available hot water for washing. As the war progressed, mobile gangs of Land Girls were set up to work on different farms. They lived in hostels which were vacant country houses and schools, where they were looked after by a warden and where conditions tended to be more comfortable than in billets. There could be anything between 6 and 100 girls in these hostels. While the Land Army Manual gave the girls advice about adapting to their new lifestyles, it was nevertheless a shock for the city girls in particular. One Land Girl, in her first week of work, was handed a bucket of soapy water by the cowman and told to wash down the cow just milked. He turned to get on with milking the next in line and was exasperated to see that the Land Girl washed the cow down from head to foot, rather than just the udders as he'd intended.

Another girl was asked if she would help castrate the pigs and almost passed out when she saw what it meant. Not only were there new skills to learn and knowledge to acquire, but the work was very hard. Farm machinery was made for and operated by fit men, used to the physical requirements of the job. The hours were long: morning milking usually started at 4 o'clock. They were expected to work 48 hours a week in winter and 50 hours a week in summer, but most girls worked many more, especially during the harvest. Many girls were placed on farms singly, so loneliness could be a problem. Lady Denman had foreseen these issues and the County Committees and support staff that she set up ensured that the girls had somebody to talk to about any concerns that they had. To describe every job that the Land Girls did would be impossible because they did everything that had to be done on the land. Not only did they plant and harvest wheat; they milked cows and delivered the milk by pony and trap to local houses; they picked sprouts; they dug potatoes; they tended flocks of sheep; looked after pigs and poultry; they picked fruit.

There were specialists who were trained in rat-catching and there was the Timber Corps, which felled, hauled and milled Britain's commercial forests. Disbandment In 1945, servicemen began to return to Britain once the war ended. But the WLA was still hard at work, ensuring that there was enough food. Whilst the Women's Land Army did not prevent food rationing in Britain during the war, it did prevent a famine. There was always enough food to go round. But their efforts were required for several years once the war ended, until the male agricultural workers returned to the land. And once they had, the girls helped them to learn how to operate the machinery that had been introduced in the years that they had been away. Many girls had given up full-time work in factories, in hotels and in service to join the Land Army. Despite Lady Denman's best efforts, and unlike servicemen and women, Land Girls had no help to find peacetime work at the end of the war. This caused some distress as girls faced unemployment. In fact Lady Denman was so incensed by the situation, that she resigned as Director of the WLA in 1945 in protest 2 .

Needless to say there were girls who stayed on the land; either as farmhands, or because they married men they met while they were in the WLA, but most eventually found work elsewhere. The number of girls working in the WLA gradually decreased until, on October 21st 1950, it was officially disbanded. At a ceremony at Buckingham Palace 500 Land Girls marched past the Queen, who addressed them: I have always admired their courage in responding so readily to a call which they knew must bring them ... hardship and sometimes loneliness. Now the time has come to say goodbye, because the job has been done, but the sadness which many feel should be outweighed by pride in the achievement. Bibliography World War I : Woman's Land Army Britain England World War I: Britain--Women's Land Army Figure 1.--Thr "New York Times Mid-Week Pictorial" had an article about the British Women's Land Army. This "New York Times" feature was arguably one of the finest and most prolific publishers of contemporary World War I photographs of any American periodical. It was the World War I equivalent of what "Harper's Weekly" did during the Civil War.

This issue was dated May 3, 1917. Britain in its long history had never before dispatched a massive army to the Continent. It became obvious early in the War that the small BEF deployed August 1914 wold be insufficent against the massive conscrip German army. A recritment drive enduced larger numbers oo men to volunteer, but the lossess ad needs for manpower finally forced Britain to introduce conscription--the first such effort in British history. This created a severe labor shortage in both industy and agriculture. To fill the gap, women began working factory jobs that had previously been filled by men. To provide agriciltural labor, the Government established the Women's Land Army (WLA). Some tradition-minded farmers resisted the idea of using women farm hands. The Board of Trade dispsatched agricultural organizing officers to convince the farmers that the WLA girls and women, most from towns and cities, would be useful. They were genrally successful and about 260,000 WLA recruits were hard at work on Britain's farms (1917). The WLA is often considered a footnote of the War, but it was in fact of some importance.

There was no comparable program in Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany. And each of these countries experienced severe food shortages that in the end affected their ability to make war. Military Manpower Britain in its long history had never before dispatched a massive army to the Continent. It became obvious early in the War that the small BEF deployed August 1914 wold be insufficent against the massive conscrip German army. A recritment drive enduced larger numbers oo men to volunteer, but the lossess ad needs for manpower finally forced Britain to introduce conscription--the first such effort in British history. Labor Shortage This created a severe labor shortage in both industy and agriculture. To fill the gap, women began working factory jobs that had previously been filled by men. Women before World War I generally did not work outside the hoe, especially married women. And there was a very limited range of jobs which before the War were considered suitable for women. Food Shortages Food becane increasingly scarce, especially meat. People laregly relied on potatos, but even potatoes were sometimes in short supply. Sugar was a special problem because almost all of the sugar supply was imported.

The avaiability of both meatr and sugar fell precipitously. The public by late 1917 was becoming increasingly concerned about the declining availability of food. Panic buying and hordening resulted in serious shortages. Women's Land Army Created To provide agriciltural labor, the Government established the Women's Land Army (WLA). The Board of Agriculture set up the Land Army when it became clear that the War would not be quickly ended and receuitment efforts began to drain farm labor. Tey began to place recruits in 1915. Most of the rcruits were young unmarried women and referred to as Land Girls. Farmer's Attitudes Some tradition-minded farmers resisted the idea of using women farm hands. The Board of Trade dispsatched agricultural organizing officers to convince the farmers that the WLA girls and women, most from towns and cities, would be useful. They were generally successful. Magnitude About 260,000 WLA recruits were hard at work on Britain's farms (1917). Importance The WLA is often considered a footnote of the War, but it was in fact of some importance. There was no comparable program in Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germny.

And each of these countries experienced severe food shortages that in the end affected their ability to make war. World War II The WLA was such a success in World War that it was reformed in Worlkd War II when agricultural labor was again needed. BBC - WW2 People's War - Timeline Fact File : Women's Land Army June 1939 - 1950 The Women's Land Army (WLA) was established in World War One, but was re-founded shortly before the outbreak of World War Two, in June 1939, to provide extra agricultural labour. The government feared that if war broke out there would be food shortages. Britain, then as now, relied heavily on imported food, and it was thought that imports would be threatened by anticipated German blockades. In addition, many male farm workers were expected to join up, leaving a shortage of labour. The government was also keen to increase food production by reclaiming pasture and unused land for growing crops. Women were initially asked to volunteer for the WLA. However, in December 1941 the government passed the National Service Act, which allowed the conscription of women into the armed forces or for vital war work.

At first only single women between 20 and 30, and widows without children, were called up, but later the age limit was expanded to include women between 19 and 43. Women could choose whether to enter the armed forces or work in farming or industry. By 1943, more than 80,000 women were working in the Land Army. They were nicknamed Land Girls. The Land Girls did a wide range of jobs, including milking cows, lambing, managing poultry, ploughing, gathering crops, digging ditches, catching rats and carrying out farm maintenance work. Some 6,000 women worked in the Timber Corps, chopping down trees and running sawmills. All of these women worked long hours, especially during the summer, mostly outdoors and often in cold and rain. There was minimal training and most women were expected to learn about agricultural work while they were actually doing it. The Land Girls lived either on the farms where they worked, or in hostels. They came from a wide variety of backgrounds, with more than one third from London and other large cities.

Some were homesick, and many farmers were initially sceptical about employing young women on their farms, but people soon came to realise how useful most of them were. Initially, Land Girls earned £1.85 for a minimum of 50 hours work a week. In 1944, wages were increased by £1 to £2.85. However, as the wages were paid by the farmer, rather than directly by the state, it was difficult to ensure that everyone was paid properly. There was a Land Army uniform of green jumpers, brown breeches or dungarees, brown felt hats and khaki overcoats. As the Land Army was not a military force, however, uniform was not compulsory. The WLA badge depicted a wheat sheaf as a symbol of their agricultural work. There was also an official magazine The Land Girl, and a special song: Back to the Land, we must all lend a hand, To the farms and the fields we must go, There's a job to be done, Though we can't fire a gun, We can still do our bit with the hoe. The WLA came under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture, but its head was the formidable Lady Denman.

Married to the former Governor General of Australia, Lady Denman was a leading figure in the Women's Institute movement, and also had a close interest in rural affairs. Her home, Balcombe Place in Sussex, became the WLA headquarters. Each district had its own WLA representative, who was expected to ensure the Land Girls were being treated well and were working effectively. The Land Army was disbanded in 1950. Although the work was hard, conditions were often bad and the pay was low, many women enjoyed the experience, and formed lifelong friendships with fellow Land Girls. The fact files in this timeline were commissioned by the BBC in June 2003 and September 2005. Find out more about the authors who wrote them. Women in World War Two - History Learning Site History Learning Site Home » The Role of British Women » Women in World War Two Women in World War Two Citation: C N Trueman "Women in World War Two" historylearningsite.co.uk . The History Learning Site , 17 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. Women in World War Two As in World War One , women played a vital part in this country’s success in World War Two.

But, as with World War One , women at the end of World War Two, found that the advances they had made were greatly reduced when the soldiers returned from fighting abroad. At the end of World War Two, those women who had found alternate employment from the normal for women, lost their jobs. The returning soldiers had to be found jobs and many wanted society to return to normal. Therefore by 1939, many young girls found employment in domestic service – 2 million of them, just as had happened in 1914. Wages were still only 25p a week. When women found employment in the Civil Service, in teaching and in medicine they had to leave when they got married. However, between the wars, they had got full voting equality with men when in 1928 a law was passed which stated that any person over the age of 21 could vote – male and female. The war once again gave women the opportunity to show what they could do. Evacuation: Young mothers with young children were evacuated from the cities considered to be in danger. In all, 3.5 million children were evacuated though many went with a teacher.

As young children were normally taught by females, many of those who went with the children were women. The fact that women were seen to be the people who taught the youngest was something that had been going on for years. The Women’s Land Army: As in World War One , women were called on to help on the land and the Women’s Land Army (WLA) was re-formed in July 1939. Their work was vital as so many men were being called up into the military. WLA Service dress In August 1940, only 7,000 women had joined but with the crisis caused by Hitler ’s U-boats, a huge drive went on from this date on to get more women working on the land. Even Churchill feared that the chaos caused by the U-boats to our supplies from America would starve out Britain. The government tried to make out that the work of the WLA was glamorous and adverts showed it as this. In fact, the work was hard and young women usually worked in isolated communities. Many lived in years old farm workers cottages without running water, electricity or gas.

Winter, in particular, could be hard especially as the women had to break up the soil by hand ready for sowing. However, many of the women ate well as there was a plentiful supply of wild animals in the countryside – rabbit, hares, pheasant and partridges. They were paid 32 shillings a week – about £1.60. WLA women sawing wood in winter In 1943, the shortage of women in the factories and on land lead to the government stopping women joining the armed forces. They were given a choice of either working on the land or in factories. Those who worked on land did a very valuable job for the British people. Factory Work: Many women decided that they would work in a factory. They worked in all manner of production ranging from making ammunition to uniforms to aeroplanes. The hours they worked were long and some women had to move to where the factories were. Those who moved away were paid more. Skilled women could earn £2.15 a week. To them this must have seemed a lot. But men doing the same work were paid more. In fact, it was not unknown for unskilled men to get more money that skilled female workers.

This clearly was not acceptable and in 1943, women at the Rolls Royce factory in Glasgow went on strike. This was seen as being highly unpatriotic in time of war and when the female strikers went on a street demonstration in Glasgow, they were pelted with eggs and tomatoes (presumably rotten and inedible as rationing was still in) but the protesters soon stopped when they found out how little the women were being paid .The women had a part-victory as they returned to work on the pay of a male semi-skilled worker – not the level of a male skilled worker but better than before the strike. The Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS): During the Blitz on London women in voluntary organisations did a very important job. The Women’s Voluntary Service provided fire fighters with tea and refreshments when the clear-up took place after a bombing raid. The WVS had one million members by 1943. Most were quite elderly as the younger women were in the factories or working on farms and were too exhausted to do extra work once they had finished their shift. The WVS also provided tea and refreshments for those who sheltered in the Underground in London.

Basically, the WVS did whatever was needed. In Portsmouth, they collected enough scrap metal to fill four railway carriages……..in just one month. They also looked after people who had lost their homes from Germans bombing – the support they provided for these shocked people who had lost everything was incalculable. When the WVS were not on call, they knitted socks, balaclavas etc. for service men. Some WVS groups adopted a sailor to provide him with warm knitted clothing. A WVS tea van at a bomb site The Auxiliary Territorial Service: In the military, all three services were open for women to join – the army, air force and navy. Women were also appointed as air raid wardens. In the army, women joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Like soldiers, they wore a khaki uniform. The recruiting posters were glamorous – some were considered too glamorous by Winston Churchill – and many young ladies joined the ATS because they believed they would lead a life of glamour. They were to be disappointed. Members of the ATS did not get the glamour jobs – they acted as drivers, worked in mess halls where many had to peel potatoes, acted a cleaners and they worked on anti-aircraft guns.

But an order by Winston Churchill forbade ATS ladies from actually firing an AA gun as he felt that they would not be able to cope with the knowledge that they might have shot down and killed young German men. His attitude was odd as ATS ladies were allowed to track a plane, fuse the shells and be there when the firing cord was pulled……By July 1942, the ATS had 217,000 women in it. As the war dragged on, women in the ATS were allowed to do more exciting jobs such as become welders (unheard of in ‘civvie’ street), carpenters, electricians etc. The recruiting poster for the ATS banned by Churchill The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force: Women who joined the Royal Air Force were in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). They did the same as the ATS (cooking, clerical work etc) but the opportunities were there for slightly more exciting work. Some got to work on Spitfires. Others were used in the new radar stations used to track incoming enemy bomber formations. These radar sites were usually the first target for Stuka dive-bombers so a post in one of these radar stations could be very dangerous.

However, the women in this units were to be the early warning ears and eyes of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. For all of this, women were not allowed to train to be pilots of war planes. Some were members of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) which flew RAF planes from a factory to a fighter squadron’s base. There were 120 women in this unit out of 820 pilots in total. The women had fewer crashes than male pilots but they were not welcome as the editor of the magazine “Aeroplane” made clear : they (women ATA) “do not have the intelligence to scrub the floor of a hospital properly.” He , C.G. Grey, claimed that they were a “menace” when flying. Secret Agents: Women were also used as secret agents. They were members of SOE (Special Operations Executive) and were usually parachuted into occupied France or landed in special Lysander planes. Their work was exceptionally dangerous as just one slip could lead to capture, torture and death. Their work was to find out all that they could to support the Allies for the planned landings in Normandy in June 1944.

The most famous female SOE members were Violette Szabo and Odette Churchill. Both were awarded the George Cross for the work they did – the George Cross is the highest bravery award that a civilian can get. Both were captured and tortured. Violette Szabo was murdered by the Gestapo while Odette Churchill survived the war. Entertainment: Women were also extremely important in entertainment. The two most famous female entertainers during the war were Vera Lynn (now Dame Vera Lynn) and Gracie Fields. Vera Lynn’s singing (“There’ll be blue birds over the White Cliffs of Dover” and “We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when”) brought great happiness to many in Britain. She was known as the “Forces Sweetheart”. Gracie Fields was another favourite with the forces. 1945: The war in Europe ended in May 1945. At this time there were 460,000 women in the military and over 6.5 million in civilian war work. Without their contribution, our war effort would have been severely weakened and it is probable that we would not have been able to fight to our greatest might without the input from women.

Ironically, in Nazi Germany, Hitler had forbidden German women to work in German weapons factories as he felt that a woman’s place was at home. His most senior industry advisor, Albert Speer, pleaded with Hitler to let him use German female workers but right up to the end, Hitler refused. Hitler was happy for captured foreign women to work as slaves in his war factories but not German. Many of these slave workers, male and female, deliberately sabotaged the work that they did – so in their own way they helped the war effort of the Allies. SHARE Women in Uniform | Women in World War II - Introduction| The National Archives Women in World War II - Introduction Catalogue reference: INF2/42 During the First World War 100,000 women served in the uniformed services, with around 50% connected with nursing and very few (officially) anywhere near combat. In 1917 the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp (WAAC) was formed, offering jobs as chauffeurs, clerks, telephonists, waitresses, cooks and instructors.

Also formed in 1917 was the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), initially only allowing women to do ‘suitable’ (i.e. domestic) work to release male sailors to take on combat duties. On April 1st 1918 the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was created, with women working as clerks, fitters, drivers, cooks and store keepers. World War II brought about major change for women in the services. In December 1941 the government passed the National Service Act (No 2), which made provision for the conscription of women. At first only childless widows and single women 20 to 30 years old were called up, but later the age limit was expanded to 19 to 43 (50 for WWI veterans). The WRNS, having been disbanded at the end of WWI, were reformed in April 1939. WRNS were posted to every home and overseas naval unit. There were 72,000 serving WRNS in 1945.

Another service disbanded after WW1 was the WAAC, they were reformed as the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and totalled over 190,000. Other military organisations included Women in Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), originally formed in 1907. Times had moved on and along with, still vital, clerical and domestic duties, women were driving and maintaining vehicles, manning anti-aircraft guns and RADAR stations, ferrying aircraft from factories to airfields, deciphering coded German messages in secret naval communications units and working as spies in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Women's Land Army recruitment poster. As part of the conscription requirement women had to chose whether to enter the armed forces or work in farming or industry. By December 1943 one in three factory workers was female and they were building planes, tanks, guns and making bullets needed for the war. One civilian choice open to women was to join The Women's Land Army, set up in June 1939. At its peak in 1943, there were over 80,000 'Land Girls'.

The women undertook hard farm work including ploughing, turning hay, lifting potatoes, threshing, lambing and poultry management. Six thousand women worked in the Timber Corps, felling trees and running sawmills. As The Women’s Land Army was not a military force many women did not wear the uniform of green jersey, brown breeches, brown felt hat and khaki overcoat. The Women's Land Army was disbanded in 1950. Detail from poster "Don't take the Squander Bug when you go shopping ". 1943.

Question: In Britain in World War II, where did "land girls" work?
Answer: Farms