Woodbridge During the Second World War 

Agricultural work was hard. The Land Army Girls did hedging, sugar-beet singling, digging carrots, pitching corn and putting barley into stooks. After rain they had to re-stook to stop the barley becoming moulding.

 If it was too frosty to work they had to stay in their hostels with nothing to do and no fire. At night when they stayed in they did knitting or embroidery. Other entertainments included playing records (Tea for Two was the favourite), going to the cinema, pubs, NAAFI and YMCA (for Table Tennis).

At work the recruits wore dungarees and a green jumper. They also had a walking out uniform with an armband which indicated the length of service and the type of work they did. A wheat sheaf badge on the armband signified that they worked on the land and a conifer badge that they were engaged in forestry.

Despite all the hard work, many former Land Girls have happy memories of the days in the Women’s Land Army.

Land Army girls behind the lorry that took them from the

hostel to their place of work.

'It was more fun in a hostel because there were other girls there and you were often working in a group.'

'When hungry, which was often, you filled up on dried biscuits made of flour and water.'

'At the hostel in Hasketon there were only two baths, one toilet and a sink for twenty girls – so a roster system had to be enforced. The warden this hostel was Miss Barrow. She made sure the girls were in by 10 at night and behaved themselves.'

One 7 stone girl tells of being was sent to work as dairymaid in at a farm in Stowupland where 'the cows seemed enormous'. She also had to carry round the heavy galvanised pails. Her day started at 5.30 and she had to milk again in the afternoon. She did this for two year before being sent to a hostel at Hasketon.

'Threshing was the worst job as you got red eyes and you were filthy when finished.'

'The worst thing about agricultural work was that there were no toilets while you were out working.'

'Being a land Army girl meant always being hungry, having sore blistery feet and a sore back. You were also either boiling hot or freezing cold.'

If you came back late or drunk after an evening out you were gated (prevented from going out) for several days.'

'You could not buy cosmetics so Vaseline was used as a suntan lotion. Sometimes we put mud packs made of Fuller’s Earth on our faces. Potash was painted on legs to look like stockings and the seam was created by drawing a pencil line up the back of the legs.'

Last edited 15 Sept 21