The Womens and Childrens' War
Womens Land Army
With so many young men called up for the armed services, there was a real gap in farm workers. The government called on women to fill this gap. The Womens Land Army ( WLA) girls did all the jobs that were required to make a farm function normally - threshing, ploughing, tractor driving, reclaiming land, drainage etc. Their wages were set by the Agricultural Wages Board. The wage for someone in the WLA over the age of 18 was £1 12 pence a week (£139.31p) after deductions had been made for lodgings and food. Some farmers paid less and charged more for lodgings and food.
The women often worked a 50 hour week.
With so many young men called up for the armed services, there was a real gap in farm workers. The government called on women to fill this gap. The Womens Land Army ( WLA) girls did all the jobs that were required to make a farm function normally - threshing, ploughing, tractor driving, reclaiming land, drainage etc. Their wages were set by the Agricultural Wages Board. The wage for someone in the WLA over the age of 18 was £1 12 pence a week (£139.31p) after deductions had been made for lodgings and food. Some farmers paid less and charged more for lodgings and food.
The women often worked a 50 hour week.
The memories of a villager aged 83
Lucy Lock, Lance Lock's mother, used to live in Manor Farm, Yarwell. She listed the plants that were growing in the nearby stone pits -
'Red & white centaury, ploughmans spikenard, vipers bugloss, hounds tongue, carline thistle, willow herb, various, yellow star thistle, great salad burnet, plume thistle and little basil-thyme, 'now not seen round cornfields'. There were Corn Crakes & Snipe in Yarwell'.
Lucy Lock, Lance Lock's mother, used to live in Manor Farm, Yarwell. She listed the plants that were growing in the nearby stone pits -
'Red & white centaury, ploughmans spikenard, vipers bugloss, hounds tongue, carline thistle, willow herb, various, yellow star thistle, great salad burnet, plume thistle and little basil-thyme, 'now not seen round cornfields'. There were Corn Crakes & Snipe in Yarwell'.