大象传媒

I was one of the "front- line" land girls working on the White Cliffs of Dover and surrounding areas. I was well initiated for, when I began, my first job was mucking out cow sheds! There seemed to be no end to it and the time was interminable! There were only two others when I began- but gradually the number increased to about sixteen. Among our "gang" during those years were two from Birmingham, one from Lancashire, one from Yorkshire. The rest were mainly from the South East. We worked for the KWAEC. Kent War Agricultural Executive Committee, and our boss was Mr. Gilbert Mitchell of Reach Court Farm. He was awarded a medal for his services as was our Forewoman Grace Harrison (later, Guest). We farmed all the land belonging to the farms of the area whose occupants had evacuated- from Hope Farm at Kingsdown(though they were still there) to Farthinglow the other side of Dover. Plus other areas too. It was mainly field work, though we had a herd of bullocks and a flock of sheep. I recall once, getting soaked from chasing sheep out of a field of Kale. Myself and another girl had been sent to keep them out of it- just to graze on a clover overlay field of stubble- an impossible task!
We did a lot of potato picking (and putting them into "clamps.") Also sugar beet. A cold job, chopping off the green tops with sharp choppers, loading them onto trailers thence to the railway station and onto trucks to be taken to the Factory to help with the sugar rationing. Another extremely freezing job took place at the top of a hill between Dover and Folkestone at Ewell Minis. This was riddling potatoes. It was a manually worked machine for grading the size of potatoes. A circular wire "cage" - fed in at one end- one turned the handle. Small ones dropped through, called "chats", fed to animals. But oh! We did have a job to keep warm. I recently saw one of these machines while on a visit to a farm museum. There was also a "sickle" there-we used these too for "hedgeing and ditching". A manual butter churn was there also- which I used when later working on an Estate at Faversham.
We grew much wheat, barley and oats. There was "docking" to do in Spring; and at Harvest time, the reaper and binder was used. So, the job of standing the sheaves up into stocks or stooks had to be done. Loading and stacking into barns or fields. Then later threshing. What a dirty job- and those barley hoils that crept round your neck!! We grew flax too. Lovely blue flowers, but it was the stalks that were needed for making linen to help with the clothing ration. This was harvested when all was dead- a really filthy job. Sometimes, when not much else was on we went to Sandwich Flats to "dam" and repair sacks! Using large curved darning needles!
At St. Margarets Bay and various camps was the Army, Air Force and Seige Regiment of the Royal Marine Commandos. We were given lifts in every type of Army vehicle from huge lorries to jeeps. Once I was taken home in a Bren Gun carrier as the Shell-warning was on and buses didn't run then. We bussed in when weather was bad, but otherwise we were supplied with bikes with a distinguishing yellow flash on. There was a railway line which connected the Cross Channel Gun sites. We had rides on some of the personnel trucks too! There was a lovely tea shop in St. Margarets Village run by Mr. and Mrs. Crannis where we used to resort at lunch time when possible where we had tea and chat. When further afield when the weather was chilly we would eat our packed lunches in the derelict farm buildings, many much damaged by shells or bombs. I saw once a sheep blown to pieces by a shell. We witnessed many "dog fights" particularly during the Battle of Britain- 'planes shot down, some crew baled out coming down by parachute. We did a lot of singing while we worked, such favourites as: "Silver Wings in the Moonlight"; "You'd be so nice to come Home To"; "Yours"; "Mares eat Oats" etc. We knew all the words of many. Sometimes a dance was held in the village hall at St. Margarets or Kingsdown. At the latter, we would be challenged by a soldier on sentry duty with fixed bayonet. " Halt! Who goes there?" and have to produce identity cards. We had great times. We were young!
On September 26th. 1994, I joined a Parade at Dover to commemorate the 50th. Anniversary of the cessation of shelling of the area. Hundreds of all nationalities were present and the Countess Mountbatten of Burma unveiled a granite Memorial and plaque. There was a Thanksgiving Service and a minutes silence to remember those who gave their lives. I met up with a colleague named Kathleen who recognised me after all these years!
P.S. Later, we did have a Combined Harvester to help! Mary Guy.

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