大象传媒

During the War there was a great need to get extra help on the land, espcially to bring in the Harvest.
Men from the farms had been called up for service, and there was a call for girls over 18 to volunteer to help on the land.
Many were allocated to the farms that were short of men and despite the heavy and tiring work, they did a good job.
My three brothers were already evacuated, two with their schools and my older brother with his company.That left Mum Dad and myself
So my Mum wrote away to volunteer a week under canvas in Alton, Hampshire.
The camp consisted of single and family bell tents, a large communal tent for food and socializing and another for washing and toilets.
when we arived we were given paliases to fill with straw. Theses, along with our ground sheets, would be our bedding for the week.
Each morning after breakfast all the volunteers would climb into waiting lorries, around 10 of us in each, sitting on the boxes that contained the packed lunches for everyone, and then we were dispatched oof to different farms each day with various tasks to do.
The worst job was to be hoeing the endless lines of cabbage. Although most of us enjoyed cutting down the thistles with hand scythes before the cattle were let into the field and everyone loved Stooking the sheaves of corn, to keep them upright until they were collected and put onto the wagons.
Despite being taught how to use the pitchfork to heave the stooks onto the wagons, I caused a very bad accident. We were told that if the sheave got caught, as it hadnt been tossed high enough to go into the wagon, to leave it for the wagon loader to unhook it himself.
My early attempt got stuck and so I gave it an extra push, only to spear the hand of the loader.
I learned a whole new vocabulary in the few minutes before he was carted off to hospital!

Most nights we were too tired to socialize but on the last night we dropped into the local pub to try their parsnip wine. Two glasses was enough. That night the ground shook with the heavy bombers taking off from the airfield nearby. A good reminder of why we were all there!