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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Being In The Land Army And Other Memories

by kirriemuir_library

Contributed by听
kirriemuir_library
People in story:听
Nan Findlay
Location of story:听
Kirriemuir
Background to story:听
Civilian Force
Article ID:听
A2857737
Contributed on:听
22 July 2004

This story is submitted to the People's War site by Aileen May, volunteer of Kirriemuir Library, on behalf of Mrs Nan Findlay, and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I joined the land army in 1940 when I was 17 years old. I chose this in preference to other services because I was interested in and knew alot about farming. When I first joined I was sent to Craibstone, near Aberdeen, where new land army recruits were sent for one month of training. I joined other girls who came from different parts of the country and had different backgrounds and life experiences. At the end of the month the recruits were dispersed to work on the land, wherever they were needed. I was asked to stay on at Craibstone to help with training future intakes of recruits. I agreed to stay on, and moved from the training accommodation to lodge in the home of one of the workmen and his wife. About a year later another girl came to Craibstone, Jessie Cooper (nee Simpson). She too was very knowledgeable about farming and was kept on, like myself, to train other girls.

Jessie amd I became close friends and she joined me at my lodgings.

I stayed at Craibstone for about three years. I was asked to stay on when Craibstone was taken over by the Rowatt Institute, but I decided against staying because Jessie had not been asked to stay.

My interest was in dairy farming. From Craibstone, Jessie and I went to work on a farm called Milton of Fintray, Aberdeenshire. This farm had a milking parlour, which was new to Jessie and I. Our day began at 4.00a.m. when we had to bring in the cows for milking. As well as dairy work, we sometimes did other jobs in the fields, hoeing, harvesting and so on. We got one weekend off per month, from Friday to Monday. I used to go home to Newtyle, Angus. The Milton of Fintray was five miles from Kintore, the nearest town, and we had to make our own way to and from the farm. Sometimes soldiers would give us a lift, however the prospect of having to walk the five miles in the dark in the approaching winter, caused Jessie and myself to leave Milton of Fintray after about nine months.

I returned home then. I was thinking of leaving the land army, however a local farmer persuaded me to continue, so I went to work at his farm called Hatton of Newtyle, Angus. I did all kinds of work, e.g. feeding cattle, milking cows, sheep clipping, and arable farm work. The farmer here was James Findlay who became my husband in 1945.

Land army women did not get paid much, but you were provided with a uniform and free board and lodgings. The uniform consisted of khaki corduroy breeches, khaki shirt and knee-high socks, green pullover, belt, tie, khaki cap and a three-quarter length great coat. We were also given khaki dungarees for wearing at work, though I mostly wore my breeches.

Sometime in 1943/44 I was among a group of land army women who were invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace. A Mrs Kidd of Auchterhouse, Angus was in charge of the land army in Angus and she made all the arrangements and escorted us to the Palace. I believe I was the only land army girl in the group from Angus. I recall that we stayed the nights before and after the Palace visit at the Strand Palace Hotel. At the reception I was spoken to by the Queen (who became the Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The Queen showed alot of interest, I think, because I came from Newtyle which is a short distance from Glamis Castle. Many years later I was given a scanned photograph of the group at Buckingham Palace, all of us dressed in our land army uniforms.

My family were involved in war work - first my mother had to accomadate and feed a Polish soldier, who was billeted in our home. The soldier with us was elderly and we called him "Papa". There were alot of Polish soldiers billeted in Newtyle. They were very popular with local women because they were courteous and charming.

We also had Italian and German prisoners-of-war with us. They lived in farm premises separated from the farmhouse. They were good and did alot of jobs; my impression is that they had quite an easy time and a alot of freedom.

One of my sisters' served with the Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment. She served in Glasgow and Australia. Then at the end of the war she was sent to Japan to help in bringing home allied prisoners-of-war. She completed her training as a nurse after the war.

Another sister was married to a pilot who flew spitfires in the war, and a third sister was in the W.R.E.N.'s. She was stationed in Dundee, Shetland and in South Africa - Durban I think.

My husband served in the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, he was one of the last to get away at Dunkirk. He was discharged from the army on grounds of his fathers' ill-health. He was disappointed to have to leave the army, however the circumstances dictated he had to return home to run his fathers' farm. After this he served in the Home Guard.

Other memories I have concern rationing, there was no canteen for women in the land army. In those days I liked to smoke an occasional cigerette, but I had an awful job getting a decent cigerette. There was no chocolate either. I remember we had a travelling family living near us and we used to trade items of clothing for some of their clothing coupons. This was how I saved up enough coupons to buy my wedding dress.

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