Z1205/154

Female. Women's Land Army during Second World War. b. 24.12.1928 Side A (00 mins)Born and raised in Kempston. Maternal grandmother was nearly 100 when she died. She lived with the family. (05 mins)Youngest of large family. Various sisters farmed out to aunties who had no children. Because of this, she didn't know her sisters very well. During Second World War, eldest brother was in territorial army, second brother joined navy. Father was plasterer. (10 mins)Father was wounded in First World War. He served in the Red Cross in Malta. Father grew vegetables and provided fresh fish, as a fisherman. Mother's sister was a dairy farmer and the children used to go there. (15 mins)Childhood play. Swimming in river. Accident at Kempston Mill. (20 mins)Expansion of Kempston, post-war. Schooling in 1930s/1940s. (25 mins)Household accidents involving burning. Sisters played the piano. (30 mins)Reflections on the class bias in education. Son became a doctor. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00 mins)Left school and worked in chemist's shop in Bedford. Always loved animals. Took opportunity, during Second World War, when she was 17, to join Women's Land Army. (05 mins)Father was dead. Mother didn't mind. After 4 week's training in Ravensden in dairy farming, joined farm near Biggleswade as stock girl. Daily milking, except day off in week. Lived with farmer's Aunt but visited home on her day off by bus. Another land girl did tractor driving on the farm. Learning to milk a cow by hand. (10 mins)Sang when milking, to help her relax. Also looked after hens, pigs and young bullocks. Raising calves. (15 mins)Problem cows when milking and pigs when feeding. Cattle feed. Mucking out. (20 mins)Threshing in January and February. Hen husbandry. Ringworm infection. Following skin disease, Land Army sent her for two week's recuperation at Torquay holiday home. (25 mins)Swam. First real holiday in her life. Met lots of land girls from around the country. Following this experience, decided to join Clifton Women's Land Army hostel, instead of working on private farm. First experience of communal living. Lots of girls from London. Cultural differences in life-style. (30 mins)Lice infestation from one girl. Enjoyed freedom but safety of hostel life under a Warden and company of other girls of same age. 32 mins)End of Side B Continued in CS154C2 Side A (00 mins)Experiences in Land Girls hostel made her less shy. Field work in various surrounding farms, e.g. pulling beetroot. Orchard tree pruning at Co-op farm at Cockayne Hatley. Arduous work but camaraderie of fellow land girls. 20 young women in Clifton Hostel. Trips into Bedford for socialisng. Met husband-to-be German prisoner of war at bus station. (05 mins)He was due to be repatriated to Germany. They wanted to stay together. The only way was for them to get married. After marriage, she was asked to leave Clifton Hostel. Accepted by the Land Army hostel at Toddington Manor. (10 mins)Joined husband I Germany but conditions were difficult. They returned to England and he worked on a farm. Lived in tied cottage. Even when they had four children, and only two-bedroomed cottage, local council refused them a council house, due to anti-German feeling. (15 mins)Moved to cottage in Millbrook. Reflections on old age in an isolated village without necessary service. Coping with anti-German prejudice over the years. Local newspaper in article to celebrate their 50th. wedding anniversary carelessly described her husband as a Nazi. (20 mins)Reflects on happy years in Women's Land Army. Family turned against her, when she married a German. Mother relented but lifelong family rift. (25 mins)Role of her religious faith. Son in serious, near-fatal accident but survived and became doctor. (32 mins)End of Side A (No recording on Side B) End of Interview. Original Interview 90 mins

3 September 2002

From: 1920 To: 2002

item

Women's Land Army, World War Two, Territorial Army, World War One, Red Cross, fisherman, dairyman, swimming, Kempston Mill, injury, schools, HOUSEHOLD, FIRE, class issues, doctor, piano, chemist, tractors, pigs, hens, cattle disease, health, holidays, lodging houses, Germans, prisoners of war, Toddington Manor, farm worker, Newspaper, religious practices, KEMPSTON, Malta, RAVENSDEN, BIGGLESWADE, Torquay, Cockayne Hatley, CLIFTON, TODDINGTON, Germany, MILLBROOK