Lillies at work: Wartime memories of the Women’s Land Army in Lincolnshire
Proud to do their bit
Mrs M Denton served in the WLA at Welton near Lincoln. She remembers the pride she felt at ‘doing her bit’, she also remembers how very different her new role was, compared to her previous job as a waitress:
“The work was of course hard and intense at times, but at the same time it did have its enjoyable moments. Winter was particularly harsh. The chickens and horses needed feeding, etc at all sorts of hours. It was certainly not nine to five, like my previous job as a waitress. In the winter the water had to be cracked open to allow the animals to drink. It was the worst job imaginable, as your hands invariably became numb. The summer months also involved hard work. Yes the weather was better but when harvesting came, the farmer always seemed to put me on the job of chafing. This involved standing at the front of the threshing machine and scooping out the residue from the crop that got stuck in this part of the machine. The bits of corn that flew out of the front of the machine got lodged in your ears or stuck in your clothes. This became irritating to work with and difficult to find the bits, when getting cleaned up in the evenings. The fact that I got to go to Oxford Street in London and wear my uniform was a moment that made up for this. I also got to keep my WLA armband, which I still keep with a large amount of pride and it triggers fond memories for me.”
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