Page 806 - Reading Mercury

milking and dairying instruction given to Land Army members from 1939 on farms,
at centres in the county, and during general training of one month at hostels.
Proficiency badges for milking and dairying instruction which raised the standard of
work, were awarded to 87 girls working in Berkshire. Other Land Army Workers
decided to make agriculture their career and went to farm institutes and colleges.
Several gained the National Diploma in Dairying and are now holding responsible
positions. Tests for proficiency in general farm work, market gardening, and field,
poultry and tractor work, were held occasionally in the country.
Recruiting continued steadily throughout the war, and the last recruitment drive took
place in 1949. A small proportion of the volunteers came from Berkshire and
Reading, but by far the majority were city girls from London, Yorkshire and
Lancashire.
They had never come into contact with the land before and the new life they led
held its own rewards, in spite of the long working hours and lack of amenities for
leisure amusement. In 1943, peak year for recruiting, there were 2,000 Land Girls
working in Berkshire. At that time the national strength was 75,000, compared with
17,000 during the 1914-18 war when the Women’s Land Army was first formed.
Responsibility for the Land Army in the county rested with a committee, whose
chairman from the outbreak of war was Mrs. Howard Palmer of Wokingham. She
worked with Mrs. Norman May, county secretary, until 1945. Two county organisers,
Miss Bayne-Jardine and, early in the war, Lady Mount, acted as liaison between the
administration office and the county, keeping in touch with farmers and conditions
generally, and making monthly welfare visits to the girls on the job.
Voluntary local representatives maintained personal contact with Land Army
workers in their area.
PALMER CUP PROFICIENCY
After the war Lady Mount followed Mrs. Howard Palmer as chairman of the county
committee, which changed its character and became concerned with welfare advisory
matters. When she resigned her position Mrs. Howard Palmer presented a cup for
proficiency in dairying and milking. County secretaries following Mrs. May were
Miss Gillian Rogers and Miss Marjorie Blunt, and Berkshire was merged with Oxon,
Isle of Wight, Warwick and Hants in 1949 under the secretaryship of Miss M. Cuff,
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whose office at Oxford will be closed on December 15 after months of sorting and
packing up.
Land Girls whose billets were not found for them by farmers lived in hostels
maintained by the W.L.A. while the Agricultural Executive Committee found it
necessary to employ large numbers for seasonal labour. The last hostels in Berkshire
to close this month were at Jealotts Hill and East Challow, though Oxfordshire are
keeping five hostels open for the girls who are remaining on the land.
One of the highlights of the Land Army’s history in the county, which will remain a
bright memory, was the all-day rally at Windsor Castle in the summer of 1945. The
Queen and the two Princesses mingled with the girls, made presentations and
inspected them. Another great occasion was the farewell parade at Buckingham
st
Palace, on October 21 this year, when Her Majesty took the salute. Berkshire sent ten
girls to this parade.
The future for the 100 Land Army volunteers, who will become “ex-service “on
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November 30 , is a matter of mixed feelings. They are determined to continue
working on farms and market gardens as long as they can find people willing to
employ them, but must lose the support of the Land Army and the companionship of
being a member of a large organisation. Three girls will stay at their Windsor Castle

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