Z1205/125

Female, former land girl with Women's Land Army b. 02.07.1922

24 April 2002

From: 1920 To: 2002

Side A (00 mins)Childhood in Biggleswade. Father made hand-built cars for Maythorns. Moved to Bedford in 1932. Family of 7 children. (05 mins)Long-lived family. Inside air-raid shelter during Second World War. Evacuee boy. Sister took assisted passage to Australia. (10 mins)Layout of their Edwardian house in Bedford. (15 mins)Layout (continued). First job in hardware shop as cashier. (20 mins)Telephone orders, home delivery and accounts with shop. Chasing debts. (25 mins)Move to department store. Later taken over by British Home Stores. (30 mins)Aged 21, volunteered for Women's Land Army, to avoid leaving home. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Sent to Hulcote Moor Hostel. Training in milking at Great Barford. Moved to Clophill. (05 mins)Hard work in dairy. Billeted with air force officer's wife. Very restrictive. (10 mins)Move to Willington, cycling from home in summer and billeted with woman in village in winter. Worked in Danish Camp area, including use of shire horses. (15 mins)What it was like to do field work. Seasonal assistance from gangs of land girls from the hostel at Cople and from Italian prisoners of war. (20 mins)Italians housed in isolated house between Ickwell and Cople. (25 mins)Two years in Land Army. Fiancee served in army in north Africa for over 4 years. Got married on his return and moved to Suffolk. (32 mins)End of Side B. End of Interview Original interview 60 min.

item

Maythyorn and Son,
British Home Stores

employment of women, women's history, Women's Land Army, CHILDREN, cars, air raid shelters, World War Two, evacuees, cashier, shops, Holcotmoors Farm, lodging houses, dairy, milkman, air force, cycling, horses, Italians, Prisoners of war, army, married woman, BIGGLESWADE, Australia, CLOPHILL, Great Barford, WILLINGTON, COPLE, Africa, Ickwell, Suffolk