First World War The
Women's Farm and Garden Union had existed since 1899 and in February 1916 they sent a deputation to meet
Lord Selborne. Selborne's
Ministry of Agriculture agreed to fund a
Women’s National Land Service Corps with a grant of £150. They were tasked with improving recruitment and provide propaganda about the good cause of women of all classes undertaking agricultural work. In time the Land Army would take on 23,000 workers who took the place of the 100,000 workers lost to the forces. The women were paid 18 shillings a week and this could be increased to 20 shillings (a pound) if they were considered efficient. 23,000 was a significant contribution but there were estimated to be 300,000 women working on the land during the First World War. A Good Service Ribbon was awarded to eligible women. January 1918 saw the publication of the first issue of
The Landswoman, the official monthly magazine of the Women’s Land Army and the Women’s Institutes. The organisation was disbanded in November 1919.
Second World War As the prospect of war became increasingly likely, the government wanted to increase the amount of food grown within Britain. In April 1939, peacetime conscription was introduced for the first time in British history, which led to shortages of workers on the farms. To grow more food, more help was needed on the farms and so the government restarted the Women's Land Army in July 1939. Though under the
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, it was given an honorary head –
Lady Denman. At first it asked for volunteers. This was supplemented by
conscription, so that by 1944 it had over 80,000 members.
Inez Jenkins, who had served as Lady Denman's assistant director during the establishment of the WLA served as Chief Administrative Officer until 1948. The last Chief of the WLA was
Amy Curtis. The WLA lasted until its official disbandment on 30 November 1950. The majority of the Land Girls already lived in the countryside, but more than a third came from London and the industrial cities of the north of England. A separate branch was set up in 1942 for forestry industry work, officially known as the
Women's Timber Corps and with its members colloquially known as "Lumber Jills" – this was disbanded in 1946. In 1943, during the
Second World War,
Amelia King was refused work because she was black. The decision was overturned after being raised in the
House of Commons by her MP,
Walter Edwards. A magazine for WLA members,
The Land Girl was first published in April 1940. Originally unofficial, it was funded by the Ministry of Agriculture once its popularity was established. The final issue was published in March 1947.
Commemoration In October 2012, the then
Charles, Prince of Wales unveiled the first memorial to the WLA of both World Wars in
Clochan, Moray. The sculpture was designed by Peter Naylor. In October 2014, a memorial statue to the Women's Timber Corps and both incarnations of the Women's Land Army was unveiled at the
National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, England. ==Recognition==