大象传媒

During World War One, Britain was in desperate need of more timber. Imported supplies were being bombed and sunk at sea and local woodland was mismanaged before being controlled by the Forestry Commission. Wood was needed for pit props and acetone production in the Forest of Dean, and ship building nationally.

With men fighting on the Western Front, and locally being needed in the mines, women had to take on the role of felling trees, cutting the logs to a desired length and moving them to the railway lines.

Historian, Cecile Hunt, explains how in 1916/17 women were recruited by the Women鈥檚 Land Army into a subdivision called the Women鈥檚 Timber Service or endearingly known as 鈥楲umber Jills鈥�.

The Lumber Jills lived on site in tents or wooden huts. Hayley Clayton from the Forestry Commission reflects on how difficult the conditions must have been: 鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got wet and soggy you just want to go home and get warm and dry鈥�It would have been a very very tough life鈥� sore and uncomfortable for them by the end of the day.鈥�

The lack of forestry management pre-war led to the Forestry Act of 1919. The Forestry Commission, a governmental organisation, was set up to restock and harvest the nation鈥檚 woodlands.

Presented by Cecile Hunt, local historian and Hayley Clayton, Community Ranger.

Location: Flaxley Woods, near Littledean, Forest of Dean GL17 0EA
Image: Lumber Jills, courtesy of IWM

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