大象传媒

I was in the Women's Land Army at the beginning of the war and I went to Swanley Agriculturqal College to train. I wanted to work with animals but I had to do market gardening.

When the backaches were finished I started to enjoy it. The first place I went to was East Farleigh. I had to take out apple trees so they could plough the field below and I didn't know how to do it as I was only 18.

An old man called Harry Lawrence came to show us what to do. He had one eye, was deaf and suffered from wind both ends. He was also coughing and blowing all the time an d would often ask me what I had said when I had said nothing.

I was swinging a mattock all day to get the trees out and when we did there was rock underneath so I was swinging a sledgehammer. I had muscles like Popeye.

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Amanda Wilkins on behalf of Edna Tree, and has been added to the site with her permission. Edna fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.