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Ruby Beavis joined the Land Army at the age of 17. Too young to join the W.A.A.F and told to return in six months, she decided to join the Land Army instead.

Following her first job of pulling potatoes, Ruby moved onto harvesting, threshing and driving, attempting many things she hadn’t done before. Her first solo trip out in a lorry involved getting stuck behind an army convoy for two hours because she couldn’t reverse.

After lengthy days in the fields, the girls would often come in, have a quick shower and then dash straight out to the nearest dance. Although the work was tough and the hours invariably long, Ruby remembers those days with great affection and an ethos of ‘just getting on with it’.

Memories of the days spent with the other Land Army girls are more vivid than the celebrations on VE Day. Ruby, like many others, had mixed emotions that day – relief that the war in Europe was over but also incredibly sad for those that lost their lives.

For Ruby the celebrations on VE Day were tainted by the knowledge that many families wouldn’t be welcoming their loved ones home.

Image: Ruby with other Land Army girls

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