<![CDATA[The heavy winds and rain didn't stop over 2,000
people from gathering in Staffordshire yesterday, to witness The
Countess of Wessex unveil a statue in honour of the Women's Land
Army at the National Memorial Arboretum.
And why should it? The members of the Women's Land Army, popularly
known as the Land Girls have endured hardships that were more
physically tiring and strenuous to help keep the country
afloat during the World Wars. As the late Queen Mother put it,
"They have obeyed the call of duty in the nation’s hour of need and
Britain owes them an everlasting debt."
The Women's Land Army was formed in 1915, when compulsory
enlistment in the army resulted in a shortage of labourers to
work on the farms at home. To keep up the production of food,
women began to work on the farms. By the end of the war, nearly a
quarter of a million women were sowing and harvesting crops to
reduce the country's need for imports. During the Second World War,
the Land Girls produced 70 percent of Britain's food. They
disbanded in 1946, after the end of the war.
More than 300 former Land Girls were present in the crowd, the
oldest of which was a 101 year-old, who came from Yorkshire. Around
16,000 of the Land Girls who lent their support to the war effort
are still alive today. In addition to honouring the 90,000
members of the Women's Land Army, the memorial serves as a tribute
to the members of the Women's Timber Corps, known as Lumber Jills,
who worked in the nation's forests during the war, generating wood
for railway sleepers and barricades.
The bronze sculpture depicts a Land Girl, holding a pitchfork in
one hand, linking arms with a Lumber Jill. The statue cost £85,000
to build, and the money for which was raised by the
Staffordshire Women's Food and Farming Union after three years of
campaigning. It stands at a height of 8 feet, and was constructed
by Denise Dutton. The Girls stand opposite a statue of the
Bevin Boys, which was erected last year to honour the young men who
worked in coal mines.
Julie Scott, the Women's Land Army tribute project co-coordinator,
said that they were pleased that the Countess had agreed to
attend the unveiling. She said: "It has been a privilege to
fund raise for this memorial. The Land Girls and Lumber Jills were,
and still are, an inspiration to us all. So many people have agreed
with us and have been a great support for which we are genuinely
grateful."
In fact, the Land Girls were so important to the country's war
effort, that in 2011, the Arboretum received hundreds of
letters asking why there wasn't a Land Girls' memorial. The curator
approached Eunice Finney of the Staffordshire Women's Food and
Farming Union, who said: "Without the WLA we'd never have fed the
nation during the war years. They changed the face of British
agriculture single-handedly – before the war we were importing most
of our food."
After official unveiling the statue, Sophie chatted with the the
former Land Girls, who were part of the gathered crowd. Among them
was 84 year-old Mary Wright, who became a Land Girl at the age of
just 17. "It was very physically demanding, but you were doing
something for the country," she said about her role in the war.
"They needed women on the farms because there weren't enough
labourers to do the work."
Another member of the Women's Land Association who turned out for
the occasion was June Rose Williams of Wednesfield, a Land Girl in
Herefordshire, back in the day. "We used to go about 8am and come
back about 4ish. I was only about seven stone. It was hard work and
we did all kinds of jobs," she quipped. "It is nice to be
remembered at last. It seems funny to say we did our bit, but it
was a good life. I am proud to be part of the occasion."
Photo credit: Defence Images via photopin cc]]>
