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The Women鈥檚 Land Army was formed in 1916, in response to the German U-Boat blockade of Britain. At the outbreak of war half of the country鈥檚 food was being imported. By the time The Women鈥檚 Land Army went to work the country was facing the prospect of food shortages.

The government had been reluctant to force farmers to take female workers but the situation changed when the harvest failed in 1917. Women workers did a range of tasks including milking, ploughing, herding and other heavy work. By 1918, there were 23,000 women working in the fields.

Here, author Carol Twinch explains how the experience of the woman working in the Land Army on the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk would not have been typical. You will also hear the recollections of Olive Crosswell who worked in the Land Army in Norfolk during World War One.

Location: Sandringham Estate, Norfolk PE35 6EN
Image shows Phylis Hobson, her sister Hilda Hobson and their friend Marjorie Maxfeld, farming in Sandringham Estate in 1916 as a part of the Land Girls' work.