大象传媒

Patricia was 14 and at boarding school when war broke out. She joined the Land Army, her parents choice when she was seventeen and a half.

Patricia's cousin Bridgett from N. Ireland accompanied her on the 6 week initiation course in the south of England. They were issued with a uniform consisting of knee length breeches, brown woolly socks, aertex shirt, woolly jumper, overcoat, hat, strong brown shoes, boots and dungarees.

Their first place of work was a diary farm near Lamborn owned by a race horse owner and trainer. Patricia and Bridgett lived in a cottage attached to the cow man's cottage in the middle of a field. There was no electricity and the loo was at the bottom of the garden.

They worked for 9 months without a break getting up at 5.30am every day to start work. Patricia used to light the boiler so the buckets and churns could be sterilised. It was very clean, they wore white coats and washed their hands before washing the cows udders and milking. The first time she sat under a cow Patricia says she took one and a half hours and had barely enough milk for a cup of tea, she laughs and says she got better at it. After milking came breakfast and then cleaning out the cow sheds followed by the mid day meal. The cows were brought in again in the afternoon to be washed ready for the afternoon milking. She remembers a cow calving and the cow man saying the cow wouldn't let them watch the birth because they were two unmarried girls.

Once a week they were allowed a bath. To get to the bathroom they had to walk through the stable lads'living quarters and were the subject of loud wolf whistles and lurid comments, although no one ever stepped out of line.

The posting close to Wantage lead to a meeting with the Betjamen's. Mrs Betjamen was wonderfully kind and would invite them rounds for baths.

For entertainment Patricia bought an upright piano for sing songs. Sometimes they cycled to Lambourn and were given a lift in an American truck to a dance. They were greeted with a rose, a chocolate and a silk stocking. One evening Patricia was horrified when she was propositioned on the dance floor by a GI. She quickly made her way back to Bridgett and they escaped through the ladies loo window.

After 9 months they were given a weeks leave and went to London to stay with a friend.

Patricia's next posting was to another diary farm near Reading where she had to share a double bed in the farmhouse with a girl from Liverpool. In contrast, standards of hygiene were completely absent. The cow shed walls being encrusted with muck and the cows' udders were always dirty contaminating the milk. On one occasion she witnessed the farmer blowing his nose into the bucket of milk, although the milk was pasteurised so it was safe for the public. There were long hours spent on freezing cold wet gloomy days hoeing vegetables and stifling summer days working aroung the combine harvester where bits of chaff got into her eyes and hair.

Following this experince Patricia was sent to another farm near Hitchin where Italian POW's used to help during the day. Patricia recalls some were very pushy and would try to grab her for a quick kiss if they caught her in the cow shed. It was while she was here that she witnessed the waves of aircraft and gliders flying over for D Day, recognisable by the distinctive three white stripes on their wings.

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