"Soil Sisters": The Women's Land Army in Suffolk, with Nicky Reynolds

After a couple of years holding meetings only on Zoom, we enjoyed our first in-person talk in May, when members and visitors gathered at Leiston Community Centre to hear Nicky Reynolds give a fascinating presentation on the Women’s Land Army.  She (with her husband Nick) had assembled a splendid display of memorabilia, and Nicky herself was in full Land Girl uniform.

Nicky described how, at the beginning of the First World War, land was left fallow and crops untended because the men had gone to war.  At one stage, in the harsh winter of 1916, there was less than two weeks' supply of food in the country.  Girls aged 16 to 40 volunteered to work the land, despite the misgivings of farmers who thought they would not be able to cope with the heavy manual work.  They were demobbed in 1919, and then re-formed in 1939 by Lady Trudy Denman, who set up County Committees and a rigorous selection process – only one in four applicants was accepted.  By 1943 they numbered over 80,000, and came from all walks of life – many were townies knowing nothing about rural life – and undertook the full range of agricultural work, including tractor maintenance and forestry.

Although they had regulated conditions of pay and work, with long-service awards and proficiency tests, they were civilians, employed by the individual farmers, so did not qualify for many of the benefits of the Armed Services.  It was not until the year 2000 that they were included in the march-past at the Cenotaph.

As Lady Denman said of her ‘Forgotten Army’, “The land army fights in the fields.  It is in the fields of Britain that the most critical battle of the present war may well be fought and won.”

Nicky and her Women’s Land Army display are part of an exhibition about inspirational women entitled ‘Women Don't Do Such Things!’, currently on show at The Hold in Ipswich until 19th June.

Maggie Strutt

Earlier this year, historians Nicky Reynolds and Vicky Abbott worked in collaboration with the The Hold, the recently re-opened Suffolk Archives in Ipswich.  They helped mount a project entitled ‘Soil Sisters’, about members of the Women’s Land Army who served in Suffolk during the Second World War.  Nicky is also a leading member of WW2 re-enactment group Soil Cinderellas, who portray Land Girls.  "There were 83,000 Land Girls during the Second World War working in the fields to feed wartime Britain", she says, "but they received very little recognition, pay or reward."

Nicky's talk promises to be fascinating, and will be enhanced by the period uniforms and artefacts that she will bring along for display on the evening.  If you have any photos, memorabilia or memories of mothers or other relations who were in the Women's Land Army, bring them with you too, as Nicky (and indeed we all) will be pleased to hear about them!

Nicky (right) with Vicky

You can read about their project at The Hold by clicking here.  

With this talk, we revert to our traditional Summer evening meetings, in person.
As Nicky will be present, for technical reasons we cannot offer a Zoom option.