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Uncover untold stories from the Women’s Land Army

Uncover untold stories from the Women’s Land Army

Shine a light on personal stories from the war with the help of exclusive collections.

Shine a light on personal stories from the war with the help of exclusive collections.

Newspaper article about the WLA, 1939

The Women’s Land Army (WLA) originated during the First World War to bolster Britain’s ability to produce food at a time of great national need. Reformed in June 1939, just before the start of the Second World War, the WLA helped a nation facing an agricultural labour shortage and reliant on imports to put food on the table. Discover fascinating untold stories about how these ‘Land Girls’ lived and worked with the help of newspaper reports and other detailed records.

Although full conscription for men came into play following the British declaration of war in September 1939, there was an initial reliance on women to volunteer for service. From early 1941, women aged between 18 and 60 were encouraged to register for war work, but it wasn’t until December 1941, when the government introduced a second National Service Act, that all unmarried women and all childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 could potentially be called up for service. At the height of employment, the WLA had over 80,000 members.

Newspaper article about the WLA, 1939

Poster: 'For A Healthy, Happy Job - Join The Women's Land Army', c. 1942

Women served in a variety of diverse, crucial roles as part of the WLA, including milking cows, ploughing, gathering crops and general farm maintenance. Posters like the one on the left, showing a uniformed member of the WLA gazing out across a wheat field with a pitchfork in hand encouraged women to enlist and join the war effort. It’s thought that the wholesome, outdoorsy lifestyle it portrayed could have been appealing to urban girls.

Poster: 'For A Healthy, Happy Job - Join The Women's Land Army', c. 1942

Recruits came from different backgrounds, many hailing from towns and cities with little knowledge of country life, and they could be directed to any part of the country for their posting. After enrolling, recruits would be interviewed and receive a medical examination. The image below shows 19-year-old Iris Joyce, a typist before enrolling in the WLA, with a group of new recruits arriving at the Northampton Institute of Agriculture in 1942. According to the original caption, Iris got free board and lodging and received 10 shillings personal allowance during training.

Not all recruits received training. If they did, they would usually receive on average four weeks of training, often at an agricultural institution or college where they would learn different aspects of farming, animal care and tending the land. A waitress in civilian life, Dorothy Lacey volunteered for service in the WLA and received her training at the Northampton Institute of Agriculture in 1942. In the image above, we see Dorothy preparing to feed the chickens, pushing a wheelbarrow full of seed towards the chicken huts at the Northampton Institute of Agriculture. The original caption indicates that Dorothy had previously been ‘bombed out in Bristol and in Bath’, as a result of the Blitz.

The WLA had a division known as the Women’s Timber Corps (WTC) whose members were colloquially known as ‘Lumber Jills’. Formed in 1942, their work centred on forestry as timber was desperately required by Britain for the war effort. Below, we see a member of the WTC felling a tree at a training camp in Culford, Suffolk.

However, it wasn’t all work! Free time for the WLA could involve a trip to the pub or a dance, providing an opportunity to socialise, sometimes with servicemen home on leave or stationed in the area. In the photograph above, the ‘Lumber Jills’ danced with British servicemen in May 1943.