Women's Land Army

The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created to encourage women to support Britain during the war by continuing the men's jobs while the men were called up to the military. The Women's Land Army would employ women to work on farms, in factories, fisheries etc...

As the war approached, the government decided that increasing the amount of food grown in Britain was a good choice because there was a possibility of food shortages. In addition, many male farm workers were expected to join the military, leaving a shortage of labour. Therefore it became apparent that women needed to participate and work on farms, so the government started the Women's Land Army in June 1939.

 

Women who worked in the Women's Land Army were referred to as 'Land Girls' because they had to work in the countryside on farms. The majority of the Land Girls already lived in the countryside but more than a third came from London and other popular cities in England. At first the Women's Land Army asked for volunteers because they wanted to encourage women and persuade them that joining the organisation would be a positive action and both themselves and Britain would benefit. The government produced advertisments for the Women's Land Army giving the impression that if women joined they would become beautiful and healthy and have a happy lifestyle. This system was very convincing to the public and it became very successful because by 1944 the WLA had over 80,000 members.

 

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. Women's Land Army had a vast range of jobs such as farming, mechanics, air raid wardens and weapon factory workers. 

 

During WW2, Devon required many land girls to work on farms to support the local villages and provide for the villagers. Devon had a lot of farms and small companies that needed help because most of Devon's farms were successful and majority of their products was transported to large cities within Britain that didn't have farms. 

 

I spoke with a relative who currently lives in Exmouth named Florence Chilcott who joined the Women's Land Army when she was 19 years old in 1943. She said that joining the Women's Land Army was very popular in Yorkshire, where she previously lived, and she was desperate to sign up. She wanted to join because it seemed like an exciting new experience and it would prove her maturity. Florence chose to work in farming and she was positioned in Ashburton in Devon. She worked in Ashburton for 6 months and was then re-positioned in Budleigh Salterton; a small town on the coast, where she stayed for 8 months. Her experience with working on the farms in Devon was thrilling and she learnt new skills, such as how to drive a tractor and milking a cow. She loved the countryside so much she moved to Exmouth so she could enjoy the country and the coast.