'Don’t Delay - Enrol Today': The Women's Land Army in Hampshire

The employment of female labour on farms during two world wars was essential to replace thousands of men who relinquished agricultural jobs to join the armed forces. ‘Land girls’, the majority of them from urban districts, maintained supplies of grain, horticultural products and livestock, succeeding in overcoming substantial reductions in food imports caused by disruptive enemy action to the pattern of shipping trade. Hampshire played a major part in the national selection, training and placing of land girls on farms. They undertook hard, physical work in all weathers for many hours a day, often a long way from home. It is generally agreed that Women’s Land Army members received inadequate recognition for their valuable contributions. Seventy-five years after the final disbandment of the Women’s Land Army, this book intends to correct that deficiency and shed light on its invaluable work.