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Women's Land Army volunteer in Bedfordshire during Second World War b.24.01.1926 SIDE A (00 mins)Born in Hulcote. Parents from Potsgrove and Woburn. Grandparents from Reynold and London. Lots of aunts and uncles. 12 in Mum's family. (05 mins)Sister 3 years younger and brother born when she was 12. Dad died young and her husband became a father figure for her brother. Mum lived to 98. Dad a horseman, then tractor driver at Hulcote moors Farm. Childhood and schooling. (10 mins)Evacuees arrived in village at beginning of Second World War. One boy, around 13 yrs. stayed with her family. Stayed about one year (?). She learned Monopoly then. William Morris School from London, with two teachers, one with his wife. Miss Bennett, about 70, had a boy evacuee. Taught in Sunday School. 2 o'clock on Sundays. (15 mins)Family only went to special services at village church, such as Armistice Day and Easter. Dad had lost brother in First World War. Interviewee did part-time cleaning for Dr. street and his wife. One teacher only, Mrs. Acton, in village school, teaching primary school age children of all ages. Use monitorial system, using older pupils to help her teach the younger ones. Transferred to Woburn Sands elementary school at 11, which took children from Salford, Ridgmont, Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands. All children of same age in each class. (20 mins)Helped teach evacuee boys in her last year. Left at Easter, when 14. Brief jobs in clothing factory, making items for the army, then testing electric light bulbs at Crysalco. (25 mins)Found work through Dad at Hulcote Moors Farm, helping with threshing, then assisted Women's Land Army (WLA) to check in items for hostel there. Gang of land girls employed by Beds. War Agricultural Executive Committee to be mobile work force working around county, as needed, on farms. Then joined WLA to work at Hulcote Moor Farm, not to work with the gang, but continued to live at home. (30 mins)End of Side A Side B (03 mins)Married in Jan. 1947 and moved into thatched cottage in June. Dad then moved from Rook Tree Farm to Rectory Farm. (05 mins)As Land Girl wore denim overalls and corduroy jodhpurs. Has her WLA arm bands, with chevrons showing each 6 month period of service. Visited WLA County Headquarters in Harpur Street to buy extra socks, etc. cheaply. Never had visit from the District Representative. Main work at farm was as a milkmaid. Had electric Alfa-Laval machines and but had to finish off by hand to avoid mastitis. Had about 30 cows. She and two men did milking. Work involved mixing food for cows. (10 mins)Mixture of breeds. Milk collect every morning and sent to London. Also raised calves. Took horses to be shod at Woburn Sands. Had three horses and two tractors on farm. One, which wore a muzzle, was called Snapper, the other two were gentle. (15 mins)Horses pulled carts. Tractors ploughed. WLA land girls' gang went off each morning and returned at teatime. Were collected in transport from the army in Kempston for weekly dance and also attended dances at American air bases around Bedford. Once heard Glenn Miller and his band give a concert. Resident land girls could go home every weekend, if they lived close enough. Some came from Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Took part in parade of Bedfordshire land army girls inspected by 19-year old Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth) in Bedford, 14 Feb. 1946. (20 mins)Didn't do any agricultural training, except on the job. Husband left RAF in 1947 and got job with Frosts nurseries in Woburn Sands. Keeps in touch with one former Land Army girl, now in Derbyshire. Wartime entertainment locally included the cinema in Cranfield and weekly dances. Lots of airmen from Cranfield airfield. (25 mins)Had sailor pen pal during war. German prisoners of war worked at Rook Tree Farm. One stayed on after war to marry farmer's daughter but died young. British warplane crashed in fields at Hulcote Moor farm, killing 6. Dad was special constable. She was a Fire Guard. (30 mins)Post-war, married had two girls, began part-time cleaning for local family, in 1950s. (32 mins)End of Side B CONTINUED ON 122C2 SIDE A (00 mins)Changes in farming post-war - fewer workers employed. "Incomers" to village tend not to mix with those born in the village. Pubs in village tend to be used more by outsiders, rather than locals. A few women she grew up with meet at Women's Institute (WI). Joined WI as a young woman. (05 mins)Once attended WI AGM in Wembley. Some men from village worked in brickworks in Marston Vale. Remembers smell of sulphur from brick kiln chimneys and brickworkers catching brickyard bus from village. (10 mins)Husband came from Essex - his father was a cowman. Used to holiday with his family in south of England. Looked after his parents. Her brother holidayed with her and her husband. Sister now housebound. Has Release Certificate from Women's Land Army and a badge (as well as armbands). (14 mins)Talks about family photos in house. (22 mins)End of Side A.End of Interview. Original interview 80mins

22 April 2002

From: 1920 To: 2002

item

Cryselco Ltd,
Miller, Glenn,
queen of england,
London Brick Buildings Group,
Marston Valley Brickworks

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