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- Womens Land Army during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

Womens Land Army



    22nd April 1945 Rescue


    If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.



Those known to have served with

Womens Land Army

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of Womens Land Army from other sources.


The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

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  • 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
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Want to know more about Womens Land Army?


There are:1754 items tagged Womens Land Army available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Zena Manners

My friend who was at the time was Miss Zena Manners, a Welsh lady. She was a Land Girl in WW2 and trained at Sparsholt Farm Institute, Winchester in May 1943. There was a team photograph taken which she has subsequently lost. Does anyone have a copy?

Joy Carter



Margaret Blower

I still have fond memories of my time in the Land Army which were very happy times spent mainly in Warwickshire. My dearest friend was Flo Lockey who married a man from Shipston-on-Stour and I would dearly love some information about Flo. My other friend was a girl named Maud nickname Ginger for obvious reasons, who married a Canadian and went to live in Canada. The place she lived was in Manitoba. They were great friends and I truly missed them when I left the Land Army for family reasons.

Margaret Mogford



Joycelyn Betty Mumford

My mother, Joyce Mumford was in the Women's Land Army and was at a hostel named Littlewoods,not far from Braxted Park in Essex. She was a tractor driver and worked on the fields at Braxted Park and farms around that area. I can remember my Mum telling me stories about when she was in the land army, one of the things she used to tell me, was about the Italian prisoners of war. They used to be taken out of camp to help the girls on the farms, they were very cheeky and used to pinch her bottom, so she sometimes used to get her own back on them; The prisoners used to have to sit on the plough to add extra weight to it if the ground was hard and dry, so she would rev up the tractor and go faster to give them a bumpy ride.

I only have two photographs of her in uniform, if any one who worked with her or knew her, I would be grateful of any info or photograph's of her and I would like to contact anyone who was at the same billet with her.

Alan Theobald



Rita Irene Day

My late wife, Rita Irene Day nee Summerscales, was in private service with Mr & Mrs David Brown of David Brown Tractors later Aston Martin cars. At Meltenham Nr. Huddersfield.

Rita decided that she would like to join the Women's Royal Naval Service but after talking this over with her Dad he suggested it would be better joining The Womens Land Army. Rita joined the WLA and was based at the hostel in Shortbank Road Skipton, North Yorkshire. She trained as a tractor driver and was involved in the ploughing of meadowlands to plant food production in our country's desperate need for food.

Rita was also involved in all types of agricultural work, harvesting, threshing, etc etc. At times this was a very dirty and heavy work, even long hours for the sum of one shilling an hour (now 5p). The normal hours per week were forty eight, plus two hours free for the Country. Many hours were expected according to demand on harvesting, etc. etc. From the week's wages of £2.8 deduction for food and accommodation at the hostel was twenty shillings (£1) leaving the sum of £1.8 to live of.

Living in the hostel with about forty other girls, they were a very happy lot when they had time to relax. I was serving in the Royal Air Force as a motor driver mechanic, and started a pen friendship with Rita. Later on a week end off duty I hitched hiked from my camp at Freckleton Lancashire to Skipton for our first date. This happened again and we fell in love.

A year later we were married on 15th July 1947. Rita later left the WLA and moved to my home City of Edinbugh in 1949 I was demobbed from the RAF and we settled down here.

Later a former Land Girl from Skipton started a annual reunion in various districts in the Yorkshire Dales. We attended as many as we could over the years, and after 60 years it was decided to finish, due to the decline in numbers. Later when the Armed forces veterans badge was issued, I thought the Land Girls were in need of recognition and started a campaign for a form of medal or some type of award. After 60 years a special WLA badge was issued at last. God bless the WLA/WTC.

Harry C. Day



Phillipa

I am looking for the Land Girl who worked on our farm at Kites Hall, Old, Northamptonshire during the Second world War. Her name was Phillippa; but, sadly, I do not have a surname. Hope someone might be able to help locate Phillipa.

Caroline Hayward



Audrey

Does anyone know of Audrey who worked at Kinns farm in Cranfield, Bedfordshire in the second World War as a land girl? Audrey worked on a farm run by John Kinns, the farm is at Wharley End, just on the edge of the airfield. The dates must have been around 1943 - 1945 sort of period. it was quite a small farm. Mostly arable I think. John Kinns lived with his wife and 5 children at Wharley End Cottage. The eldest son was called Peter Kinns. Is Audrey still alive? Sorry, but I do not know her surname.

John Mortimer



Joyce Burt

I heard only a short time ago of this internet site and I am wondering if any of my friends and workmates have also been in touch with you. I was in the W.L.A. from the 10th of August 1942 until the 19th of January 1946. I lived at the Land Army Hostel in Little Hadham in Hertfordshire (Little Hadham Place).

After leaving the Land Army I returned to my office work at Prices Candle Company in Battersea and in 1947 married my boyfriend who as a member of the Dutch Royal Navy had served during the war years with the British Navy. In 1949 we moved away to live in Holland where we are still living. I'm sorry to say I then lost touch with my wartime friends, but I suppose we were all busy building up our new way of life and bringing up our children.

I often look back though to the years at Little Hadham and I hope to hold a little bit of contact with W.L.A. My maiden name was Joyce Burt.

Joyce van der Veer



Mary Bailey

The attached photo of a group from the Womens Land Army taken around 1947 in Wales. The woman on the far right is my mother Mary Bailey.

Mary joined the Women's Land Army shortly after the war 1947/48. She trained at Boncath, Carmarthen and worked at Crosshands, Llahndilo Wales. Mrs Lewis was the lady in charge of the Unit/Hostel where they were accommodated at the time.

Mary recounted tales of working on the land lifting turnips and potatoes by hand, having a hard time of it from local farmers who took advantage of the cheap labour. She remembers her close WLA friends Betty Burridge and Dorothy Reece, also Dorothy's sister Olwyn, who lived at Llandilo or Monadilo. Emma Lowther was another close friend in the WLA and she had relatives near Durham.

Mary married an RAF chap, Arnold Hall, they were married near Durham and went on to tour the world with the Royal Air Force. They live currently in retirement in Lytham St Annes and Mary celebrated her 80th birthday earlier this year.

I would love to hear from anybody who might remember Mary or her pals in the WLA.

Peter A Hall



Cicely Adams

I am trying to make contact with any other ladies that my mother-in-law served with in the Land Army. Her maiden name was Cicely Adams, married name Cicely Monk. Served around Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire.

Suzie Monk



Jane Beattie Kelly

My mother Jane Beattie Kelly served in the Women's Land Army at Dunalastair Gardens, Kinloch, Rannoch, Scotland from 1941-1944. Is there any way to find a record of her or any photos in an archive?

Irene Kelly









Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.



My Land Girl Years, 1939-1948

Vera Rattray


We were a lively and energetic bunch of girls from all over Lancashire, and while some of us had a farming background, the majority did not . . . We were to get on well together.' From 1939 to 1948, Veronica Rattray worked on farms in Lancashire as a land girl, and she has faithfully recorded these crucial years of her life in this revealing memoir. The war years - a period of hardship for people in a nation under threat - was, for these land girls, a time of effort, self-sacrifice and hard work for low wages. They got on with their tasks, milking cows, herding sheep in the Pennines, and tending the huge shire horses that worked on the farms, and they got on well with each other. The author's reward was to make new friends and to meet Queen Elizabeth in London, a moment she treasures. Here are her recollections of a happy time, when people had fewer choices and made the best of what they had.
More information on:

My Land Girl Years, 1939-1948



The Women's Land Army

Bob Powell & Nigel Westacott


This book brings together a wealth of black and white pictures which together record not only the operations of the Women's Land Army (WLA) but also scenes of the countryside between 1939 and 1950. Drawn from the worldwide albums of many ex-land girls at a time when film was rationed and photography monitored, this collection offers a fascinating insight into the people and places associated with the WLA. Many of these photographs have never been published in book form and so offer a unique record of the organisation. Every image is captioned, providing names and dates where possible, and revealing historical anecdotal detail which gives life to the scenes and personalities captured through the camera lens. Presenting training, occupations and the social activities of the Land Army women, this absorbing collection will not only evoke many wartime memories, but will also inspire readers through these images of hope, strength and unity.
More information on:

The Women's Land Army



British Women's Uniforms in Colour Photographs (World War 2)

Martin Brayley & Richard Ingham


This reference book contains the uniforms of the women's services during World War II. Nearly 200 colour photographs of rare, original uniforms from private collections are featured with detailed explanatory text. This really is an extraordinarily good book if you're looking for details of women's uniforms from the WWII period. Every page has a large, clear photograph of a uniform (worn by a modern model, but with 40s styling), plus detail shots of shoes, insignia, berets and so on.


The 1940s Look: Recreating the Fashions, Hairstyles and Make-up of the Second World War

Mike Brown


"The 1940s Look" tells you everything you need to know about the fashions of wartime Britain and the impact that rationing, the Utility scheme, changing tastes and the demands of everyday life had on the styles people wore. People had to 'Make Do and Mend' - with varying degrees of ingenuity and success. Hair styles, glasses, jewellery, and tattoos were essential in creating your own fashion statement. Women's magazines advised readers on the difficulties of dressing growing children, offered instructions for making clothes and accessories, and hosted debate over whether by dressing up, women were helping or hindering the war effort. Thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated, "The 1940s Look" tells you how civilian men, women and children dressed - and why they looked the way they did during the Second World War. It draws on contemporary sources including government advice, periodicals and books, and benefits from an entertaining narrative by author Mike Brown.


Wartime: Britain 1939-1945

Dr Juliet Gardiner


Juliet Gardiner's 'Wartime' provides a marvellously rich, and often entertaining, recreation of life on the Home Front, 1939-45, drawing on an enormous range of oral testimony and memoir.
More information on:

Wartime: Britain 1939-1945



Women on the Land: Their Story During Two World Wars

Carol Twinch


Women on the Land tells the remarkable story of women's contribution to agriculture and forestry during the two World Wars. It traces the formation and history of the Women's Land Army, and shows how women, mostly untrained and from non-farming backgrounds, helped maintain food production for a beleaguered nation, by filling the places of men away at the war. At the height of the First World War the Land Army had a full-time membership of 23,000 members, a number that was to exceed 80,000 during the Second World War. The book pays tribute to women like Lady Denman, who administered the Land Army during the Second World War and who was its chief inspiration and driving force, and also outlines the part played by other women's groups in wartime. Containing many first-hand reminiscences by the women who served, and a number of evocative illustrations, Women on the Land highlights the years when women were effectively to challenge long-established preconceptions as to what properly constit


World War II (Who? What? When?)

Bob Fowke


'We loved this series. Really good, easy-to-use, exciting reference books, but the size and appearance of a novel. Topics and themes are covered in alphabetical order and there's a simple cross-referencing system which is really easy to use. A good, fascinating selection of information and facts that can be dipped into; helpful and clear 'how to read this book' explanation at the front, and glossary of terms and index at the back. Great, eye-catching covers.' -- The Guide to Literacy Resources 2003 'The series covers eras closely linked to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's key stage 2 units. They approach history through the humorous, gruesome facts that KS2 pupils love to know. The cartoons and informal style make them suitable for independent reading - an unsuspecting way of learning about the past.' -- TES Teacher 20030613 'a very accessible reference book.' -- Primary Times 20030331 Product Description As the title implies, the book provides information on the key peo


The Milk Lady at New Park Farm: The Wartime Diary of Anne McEntegart June 1943 - February 1945

Anne McEntegart


Anne McEntegart (1905 - 1984) was a professional artist and wife of an R.A.F. officer, Bernard McEntegart - who eventually became Air Vice-Marshal. Being the wife of an officer she didn't need to work on the land but she wanted to support the war effort and so did the work of a land girl, alongside the land girls on the farm, without becoming a member of the W.L.A. This was possibly because she wanted to be available to be with her husband if this was needed, her husband was working abroad and her only child was in Canada, evacuated for safety. Aged thirty-eight, Anne left London, and her life as the wife of an officer, to work on the land and deliver milk for Walter Gossling at New Park Farm, just outside the village of Brockenhurst, in the New Forest. Though not an official member of the Women's Land Army, Anne milked cows and stacked corn alongisde the land girls on the farm. Engagingly detailing the brim-full days of farm life during the build-up to the D-Day and after, this book c








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