THE BOLD BALLADIERS SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
"Blood, toil, tears and sweat"
A new Project on the Second World War for Schools 2005
Women's Land Army
The Women's Land Army originated in The First World War, but became much more important in the Second. At its peak, numbers reached more than 80,000. Although some "Land Girls" were born and brought up in the country, many more came from big industrial cities such as London, and included all social classes. They were needed to do the agricultural work formally done by men. These men had been called up into the armed forces.
The Women's Land Army was not an army in the military sense. Most of the young women worked for individual farmers. Their pay was poor, the hours long and the holidays short - just seven days leave a year. As well as horticulture, they were asked to catch rats, which were a menace after many household pets had been destroyed to save food. They might also have to do work in forestry, felling and sawing timber. They would see to the milking, the poultry and haymaking. They would even be expected to do heavy work such as ploughing. They were sometimes helped by other adult volunteers, children and prisoners of war.
Jolly Land Girls displaying uniform - note the hats and footwear
Posters from both World Wars
Material Copyright ©2004 Michael Goldthorpe