Lillies at work: Wartime memories of the Women’s Land Army in Lincolnshire
A world away from the posters
Mrs A Allen worked for the WLA on a farm in Harpswell. She particularly highlights that the work was not as idyllic as depicted in the various government recruitment posters of the period:
“Believe it or not the posters was my main reason for joining. It showed a woman in the summer, proudly working in the fields. I soon began to realise, however, that the poster was just a way of getting us to join the WLA. I have vivid memories of standing in the middle of nowhere on a very foggy, frosty morning, eating my sandwiches with very dirty hands, still painful from pulling up the beetroot and the only warmth came from the OXO in my flask.”
She remembers the determination felt by the ‘Land Girls’ who believed their strength was a challenge to Hitler:
“Loading and spreading manure was a dirty job. We also had to lift the potato crops, hard work by any standards. Then we had to lift the sacks of potatoes onto a delivery lorry. You soon developed a good rhythmic swing to hoist it to the top of the load. I just don’t know where I found the strength to lift the sacks. Nothing deterred us though. I think everything came as a challenge to beat Hitler.”
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