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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Pam Riding of Kirklees Libraries on behalf of Mrs Ward and has been added to the site with her permission. Tha author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
I was a Land Army girl sent from Ravensthorpe to Norfolk, and I had never been any further than Leeds. There were 25 girls staying in a hostel. My sister was based in Cornwall. We had a good social life — we went out dancing every night! There were soldiers based nearby, and the soldiers would send trucks to collect the girls. The Americans were very dashing, but we didn’t think about sex — we were too frightened. I can remember going to a dance at that base and ten planes were missing — there were eleven men in each plane. At the dances the Americans had lots of food and would give out Camel cigarettes, chocolate and sweets.

We had to milk the cows on the farm, then deliver the milk, then go back to the farm to muck out. We worked seven days a week and had one weekend off every two months. We earned 12/6 per week. We were out in all weather, even when there was ice on the vegetables. Then I went into general farming, harvesting sugar beet. One girl chopped off her finger while she was working.

We stayed in the hostel and then were sent out in a group to whichever farm needed workers. We got up at 4.00 to collect the cows. I worked with one other girl and a farm man, and then a milk man.

We had German and Italian prisoners of war working on the land with us. One girl married a German prisoner of war. The Germans did work hard. The Italians were lazier, but romantic; they would pick flowers for the girls!

In the hostel the landlady would put your ration of sugar for the week in a jar. I used to save mine and take it home. We made dresses out of curtain material because it wasn’t on coupons. I once made a swimming costume out of an old jumper!

I remember the Army making the farm a Head Quarters. We found out after the war that the whole Norfolk coast was on alert in case of invasion.

I can remember the white lines being painted on the roads because of the black out. I fell out of a train once and was pushed home two miles on the handlebars of a bike!

I have kept in touch with three other friends. I saw one in Cornwall last year, for the first time in 50 years. We had been writing to each other during that time. One of my other friends went to live in America, and I still email the other.

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