In the dark days of the 1940s when Britain was under threat of being invaded for the first time since 1066, thousands of women of the Women's Land Army (WLA) - commonly known as the Land Girls - toiled on farms and in fields to replace the men who had gone off to war. In World War I the WLA consisted of 260,000 women, and in WWII it consisted of 80,000. Yesterday, surviving members of the WLA marched past the Cenotaph in Whitehall, their 12th commemorative march...
Hint of recognition for the wartime Land Girls
By Jasper Copping
14/10/2007
Daily Mail
They toiled on the land in their thousands, freeing the men to fight in two world wars.
Former Land Girls at a service at the Cenotaph
But for decades the contribution to Britain's victories of the Women's Land Army (WLA) - or Land Girls, as they were more commonly known - has gone largely unrecognised.
As surviving members gathered for a commemoration service at the Cenotaph in central London yesterday, the Government appeared to concede that they should be given greater recognition for their role.
The move follows calls by campaigners for a medal to acknowledge their service.
Politicians from all three parties have pledged their support to the campaign and are preparing to debate the issue in the Commons, with ministers already indicating sympathy with their case.
The WLA was founded during the First World War amid fears of food shortages as male labourers joined the Armed Forces, and more than 260,000 women enlisted.
During the Second World War 80,000 women left their homes and families to live in lodgings and hostels across the countryside and work on farms.
Wearing a uniform of green jerseys, brown breeches and brown felt hats, they kept the country fed, milking cows and mucking out pigs, driving tractors and steering ploughs. A sister organisation, the Women's Timber Corps - or Lumber Jills - saw a further 6,000 women sent to work in forests.
The WLA featured in the 1998 film Land Girls, starring Rachel Weisz and Anna Friel, which hinted at a reputation for promiscuity sometimes associated with the service, infuriating many surviving members.
Mildred Bowden, 87, from Tenterden, Kent, worked on a dairy farm in the Second World War and is now leader of the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps Veterans group.
"The country has never recognised our contribution," she said. "It hasn't said thank you to us. We have been undervalued ever since we left."
Eileen Medforth, 83, from Shiptonthorpe, North Yorkshire, who worked on a farm and a forest nursery, said: "We should get some kind of recognition. Without us, there wouldn't have been any food for anyone."
Women who worked in the Armed Forces have received a service medal, while other civilian workers, such as nurses, got gratuity payments at the end of the war. The WLA received nothing.
But their campaign has been boosted recently by the Government's decision to award medals to thousands of "Bevin Boys", young men conscripted to work in coal mines during the war.
It led former Land Girl Mary Smith, 85, from Sheringham, north Norfolk, to enlist the support of her local MP, Norman Lamb, who wrote to Hilary Benn, Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - the successor to the Board of Agriculture.
In a signed reply initially rebuffing the call, Mr Benn had handwritten - apparently for the attention of civil servants in his department - "Why can't we do a Land Army badge?"
Mr Benn is understood to have asked civil servants to work on ways to recognise the Land Girls' contribution. Yesterday, he said: "The Government is aware of the tremendous debt which the nation owes to the … WLA.
"The Government decided in 1944 not to recognise service in the WLA as service in the Armed Forces as they were a civilian organisation. However I would be interested to look at other ways to recognise their contribution."
Mrs Smith said: "This is good news but we are not there yet. The Government can't leave it too long because we are all getting on a bit."
IN PICTURES: THE LAND GIRLS
They toiled on the land in their thousands, freeing up the men to go and fight in two world wars
Wearing a uniform of green jerseys, brown breeches and brown felt hats, they kept the country fed, fulfilling a number of agricultural tasks, from milking cows and mucking out pigs, to driving tractors and steering ploughs
But for decades the immense contribution of the Women’s Land Army (WLA) - or Land Girls, as they were more commonly known - towards Britain’s victories has gone unrecognised
Now campaigners are calling for the unsung heroines of this forgotten army to be awarded a medal in acknowledgement of their service
Politicians from all three parties have pledged their support to the campaign and are preparing to debate the issue in the House of Commons, with ministers already indicating sympathy with their case
Yesterday the Land Girls gathered for their 12th commemorative march at the Cenotaph in Whitehall
The WLA was established by the Board of Agriculture during the First World War amid fears of food shortages as male labourers joined the armed forces, and more than 260,000 women enlisted.
telegraph.co.uk
Hint of recognition for the wartime Land Girls
By Jasper Copping
14/10/2007
Daily Mail
They toiled on the land in their thousands, freeing the men to fight in two world wars.
Former Land Girls at a service at the Cenotaph
But for decades the contribution to Britain's victories of the Women's Land Army (WLA) - or Land Girls, as they were more commonly known - has gone largely unrecognised.
As surviving members gathered for a commemoration service at the Cenotaph in central London yesterday, the Government appeared to concede that they should be given greater recognition for their role.
The move follows calls by campaigners for a medal to acknowledge their service.
Politicians from all three parties have pledged their support to the campaign and are preparing to debate the issue in the Commons, with ministers already indicating sympathy with their case.
The WLA was founded during the First World War amid fears of food shortages as male labourers joined the Armed Forces, and more than 260,000 women enlisted.
During the Second World War 80,000 women left their homes and families to live in lodgings and hostels across the countryside and work on farms.
Wearing a uniform of green jerseys, brown breeches and brown felt hats, they kept the country fed, milking cows and mucking out pigs, driving tractors and steering ploughs. A sister organisation, the Women's Timber Corps - or Lumber Jills - saw a further 6,000 women sent to work in forests.
The WLA featured in the 1998 film Land Girls, starring Rachel Weisz and Anna Friel, which hinted at a reputation for promiscuity sometimes associated with the service, infuriating many surviving members.
Mildred Bowden, 87, from Tenterden, Kent, worked on a dairy farm in the Second World War and is now leader of the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps Veterans group.
"The country has never recognised our contribution," she said. "It hasn't said thank you to us. We have been undervalued ever since we left."
Eileen Medforth, 83, from Shiptonthorpe, North Yorkshire, who worked on a farm and a forest nursery, said: "We should get some kind of recognition. Without us, there wouldn't have been any food for anyone."
Women who worked in the Armed Forces have received a service medal, while other civilian workers, such as nurses, got gratuity payments at the end of the war. The WLA received nothing.
But their campaign has been boosted recently by the Government's decision to award medals to thousands of "Bevin Boys", young men conscripted to work in coal mines during the war.
It led former Land Girl Mary Smith, 85, from Sheringham, north Norfolk, to enlist the support of her local MP, Norman Lamb, who wrote to Hilary Benn, Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - the successor to the Board of Agriculture.
In a signed reply initially rebuffing the call, Mr Benn had handwritten - apparently for the attention of civil servants in his department - "Why can't we do a Land Army badge?"
Mr Benn is understood to have asked civil servants to work on ways to recognise the Land Girls' contribution. Yesterday, he said: "The Government is aware of the tremendous debt which the nation owes to the … WLA.
"The Government decided in 1944 not to recognise service in the WLA as service in the Armed Forces as they were a civilian organisation. However I would be interested to look at other ways to recognise their contribution."
Mrs Smith said: "This is good news but we are not there yet. The Government can't leave it too long because we are all getting on a bit."
IN PICTURES: THE LAND GIRLS
They toiled on the land in their thousands, freeing up the men to go and fight in two world wars
Wearing a uniform of green jerseys, brown breeches and brown felt hats, they kept the country fed, fulfilling a number of agricultural tasks, from milking cows and mucking out pigs, to driving tractors and steering ploughs
But for decades the immense contribution of the Women’s Land Army (WLA) - or Land Girls, as they were more commonly known - towards Britain’s victories has gone unrecognised
Now campaigners are calling for the unsung heroines of this forgotten army to be awarded a medal in acknowledgement of their service
Politicians from all three parties have pledged their support to the campaign and are preparing to debate the issue in the House of Commons, with ministers already indicating sympathy with their case
Yesterday the Land Girls gathered for their 12th commemorative march at the Cenotaph in Whitehall
The WLA was established by the Board of Agriculture during the First World War amid fears of food shortages as male labourers joined the armed forces, and more than 260,000 women enlisted.
telegraph.co.uk