大象传媒

This story was submitted to the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War site by Wymondham Learning Centre on behalf of the author who fully understand the site's terms and conditions.

I was 17 years old in 1939 and was living with my aunt, Ida Browne, in Winfarthing in Norfolk. I had lost my mother and my father, David, was in the Royal Navy. Later he was killed at sea.

I volunteered for the land army and worked at Cole鈥檚 Farm in Winfarthing. At first I worked in the house and then on the land. We were given working clothes which included breeches, leggings, boots up to the knee, and a sou鈥檞ester, which tied under the neck. At the end of the war we had to hand in our clothes.

The land girls came from all over the place. They were mainly country girls but there were one or two from the city. We all became good friends. I enjoyed the work. I would sit on the horses during ploughing and I loved them. There were about a hundred cows on the farm and I also worked with them in the cowsheds, milking them by hand. In fact I met my husband, Frank, under a cow. We courted and we remain married to this day.

We worked from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. After work we sometimes went to socials in the village hall and occasionally we cycled to the pictures in Diss.

I can remember a bomb at Banham and a plane being shot down. We went to see the wreckage.

We were at work when the news that peace had been declared came through and I rushed home excitedly.

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