The Women's Land Army & Timber Corps

   

                        Uniform cap badges

Women's Land Army       Women's Timber Corps  

On the 28th January 2008 the Government approved a Commemorative Badge for issue to female war veterans who worked on the Home Front to provide food and timber for the nation during the Second World War. The specially designed badge recognises the tremendous efforts of the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps and acknowledges the debt that the country owes them.

With their uniform of green ties and jumpers and brown felt slouch hats, they worked from dawn to dusk each day, milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting crops. The veterans campaigned for years for recognition and were given considerable help in this by the actress Dame Glenda Jackson MP. Her website contains advice on how to apply for the badge.

The article that follows is a transcript of the original by Ruth Johnson published by the Deddington News.

"For a healthy, happy job, join the Women's Land Army" ( 1940s slogan). The heroic achievements of British agriculture during the Second World War must not be forgotten. The objective of a plan drafted in 1936/37 was the production at home of as much of the food most needed in war time as possible of. Yet, during the war some 98,000 men had left the land to enrol into the Armed Forces. Somebody had to step into the breech and none were better organised than the Women's Land Army colloquially known as the Land Girls. Imagine my pleasure when over a welcome cup of tea, a dear, only too modest. Deddington friend chatted to me about her two years service in the WLA and showed me a letter of thanks signed by the Prime Minister, and her brand new shiny commemorative badge


This is a long overdue official thank you for war work, to the surviving members of over 80,000 young women volunteer labourers on the land. My friend, together with another Land Girl, shared work on a big estate, tending a large market garden, looking after six Jersey cows, poultry and generally supporting two elderly estate workers, the only regular staff left who had not been called up. The girls were quartered above a stable/barn, did their own cooking on a single electric ring and even had water laid on into their quarter! (the men had to make do with an outside tap). Once a fortnight the girls took turns with weekend leave to visit their parents, but each felt duty bound to return on the earliest milk train on Monday morning to lighten again the on-duty girl's heavy burden. Luckily healthy food was always in good supply which eked out their 7s. 6d a week pay. My friend showed me her original WLA badge worn on her issue uniform of green jumper, beige shirt, tie, hard- wearing trousers, wellington boots and a warm coat. Sadly, I could not persuade her to dig out some old photos from the attic. She said: I was only one of thousands doing my bit for my country. Yes it was hard work, but we learned a lot and also had some fun. We two Land Girls got on famously and are still in contact with each other to this day. The WLA Badge has been specially designed by the Garter King of Arms and bears the Royal Crown. The commemorative badge shows a gold wheat sheaf on a white background surrounded by a circle of pine branches and pine cones to indicate the work of both the Women's Land Army (WLA) and the Women's Timber Corps (WTC), known as Timber Jills*. The WLA was disbanded in 1950. Land Girls and Timber Jills. we salute you!   "

*Eds note: 'Lumber Jills' was a more commonly known sobriquet but both were used.

Names of some of those who served and often were temporary residents living in Deddington are:

Violet June COOPER known as Violet  (1928-2003) an Oxford girl who married Gerald French from Clifton

Dorcas LOVE - lived in digs in the village.  

Irene (René) SHEPPARD  - Lived at the Paper Mill cottages.