Land Army, girls & now.

Wonderful photo Scribbles as Bridgeit said you must be very proud of your Mum.
The same situation is not likely to occur again but I'm sure our younger generation would rise to the challenge. There is much more awareness of world politics now so the younger generation are less likely to follow blindly and will question things more.

My mother worked in what were called the 'danger buildings' in the Royle Arsenal at woolwich.
Not only was the work dangerous but the geographical location ( on the Thames) made it doubly so.
But she loved it. The money was good and of course she never went short of nylon stockings with all those American soldiers and sailors around

We were indeed, Bridgeit. After the WLA, she went on to a variety of jobs including house-mother in a children's home, doctor's housekeeper, poultry keeper, and delivering meals-on-wheels but would sometimes talk wistfully about the amount of pure fun she and her friends had had in the Land Army despite the stresses of the time and the tiring nature of the work.

My son now 35 joined army cadets after a Sargent from local cadet unit did a talk at school.him and 5 other friends joined 5 friends left the first night saying it was worse than being at school.my son stayed became the youngest non commissioned officer and was presented with his stable belt from area officer (I think) which I still have to this day.he went on to join the t a.
Unfortunately fell from a rope bridge badly damaged his knee and couldn't join army only a a pencil pusher (his words) his job now yes you guessed a pencil pusher.

Thanks Scibbles, what a wonderful photo, you must be very proud of her.

As promised somewhere up-thread, here's my mom, resplendent in her Land Army Dress uniform. There's no date on the picture but I think it was probably taken in 1945. She'd have been no more than 18 then.

For day to day work, they wore dungarees and green woollen jumpers rather than these breeches and the collar and tie.

My mum was in a reserved occupation to do with the supply of medical instruments and spent the War in London, bombed out twice. It seems strange but I think both DDs would be too old now to be called up, in the first round anyway!however, one of them is turning her garden in to a vegetable patch for reasons I won't mention. I don't think the women on the home front ever got the recognition they deserved.

My granny and auntie worked in a munitions factory. Granny never talked about, and it's only recently I've found out how dangerous the work was.

My mum worked in a munitions factory. She told tales of going in to work and the yellow painted walls often being splattered with blood from the previous shift!

My mother was in the WAAF, which she chose so that she did not have to work in munitions factories. She worked in stores and often complained that women were not allowed to do men's jobs such as being pilots.
I wouldn't be here if women had not joined up in WW11 as my father was in the RAF and that was how my parents met .
My mother did say that, coming from a sheltered background, it was quite a shock meeting people from all walks of life.

My mother joined the ATS before the war and was just about to come out when war was declared so did her duty as so many women did and stayed on. She worked at the war office, helped with the embarkation of troops going off to the front lines. Went to Africa and Egypt and their ship came under attack and was torpedoed but fortunately their aim wasn't good. I think her life afterwards was a major disappointment as she was expected to get married and produce children. I think she should have stayed in the forces. To her death at 84 she kept in contact with three other women who were inner division. She said the good thing about being posted abroad was she had good food. She was shocked when she went on leave to see how thinnher sisters were because of the rationing, they lived in an industrial town with no garden so no way of supplementing rations. My friends Mom worked as a code breaker. Neither of them would fill in any details about what happened during their time serving their country. Those in the munitions must have had a terrible time. They are definitely unsung heroines.

I like to think that our young people today would step up and do their duty where needed.

My mother was land army for a while...then joined the Army , she was in Anti-aircraft positions around the south coast as a plane spotter. She says being straffed by enemy aircraft was easier work than the Land army! She always admired those women who grew the food to feed this country . Heroic!

Quizqueen Don't despair I am sure that in the face of adversity the UK will show what its made of. Inevitably and as before there will always be the few.

My own son, when at school, was required to be in the army cadet corps. He defeated their Officer in charge by saying that he 'refused to be shouted at by these people'! He was discharged. I doubt if he'd be any more amenable to army style discipline today. DD on the other hand loved it and turned out to be a sharp shooter.

the young women of today would not fair well in the event of another war as they are too used to having a free and easy lifestyle. And they might break their nails!!

I suspect that our young people would be much less compliant and less likely to put up with the discipline that would be required. They'd be pursuing their rights to not do this and that etc etc.

I think that quite a lot of young women these days would head for the hills but not all. I would like to think my Dil's and D would pull their weight and as it's put keep the home fire's burning. But what concerns me is the young men, would they be up for war some don't seem to have the stamina these days.

It seems to me that where there is war in other countries, their young men and their families escape to another country. Where would we have been in 1914-18 and again in 1939-43 if our young men had defected to another country,

Lots of occupations not recognised. What about the women who had to go and work in munition factories and the like - I know which I would have preferred.

My mum would have loved to join the Land Army but her Victorian parents said no. She was an ambulance driver instead.

I fear that the young women of today would not fair well in the event of another war as they are too used to having a free and easy lifestyle. Women before the first world war didn't have very much independence so being able to work and socialise outside the house was a new thing for them and, although I'm sure it was hard work, it led to them having far more independence outside of the family home.

My mother was in the WAAF, now the WRAF. She loved it!

My mother worked on the railways in WW2. Had two children then, husband a miner on shifts yet she did her bit for the war effort. Loads of occupations undertaken by women and not well recognised.

My mother was also in the Land Army, must have been a bit of a shock for her coming from East London to a tiny remote village in Wiltshire! However, that's where she met my father, as she lodged with his brother and wife. She stayed in the area for the rest of her life until she died in 2011. My late DMil was in Lancashire and worked in munitions in Preston. DH always used to complain that no-one appreciated these women's war work.