Land Army by

Anti-vermin squads

2018-12-09 13:39:32 UTC

The Teams of land girls which were trained to kill rats, foxes, rabbits and moles is something that impressed me. Thanks to the help of these women, the agricultural production could be maintained at one hundred percent. From my point of view, this job could be the most unpleasant of the entire Second War World. Noelia G

Ángeles R.

anitamedianero — 2018-12-09 14:03:08 UTC

Undoubtedly, women played an important role in Agriculture during World War II, and this altered the structure of farm labor. In addition, this change was achieved in all areas of the economic sector of society.

Despite this fact, once World War II was over, women returned to their traditional roles, because " They did not continue their agricultural employment into 1946".

However, thanks to their help with agricultural work, many people were fed during the war.

Land Army

2018-12-09 17:43:12 UTC

Honestly, I didn't know the role that women played in WW2.
Women seemed to be really fulfilled doing that kind of job despite the fact that they had to work long hours per day.
In addition to that, I was impressed by the last picture. It must have been a really hard job for land girls to kill foxes, rabbits and moles because of the pest. Honestly, I couldn't have done it!
Toñi N.

CHALLENGE # 1 Who advised Mrs Crane to join the Land Army? Why?

victoria_lavreniuc_85 — 2018-12-10 19:57:32 UTC

The Doctor told her to join the Land Army, rather than the Forces, because it would be better for her nervous eczema. After being accepted, no one gave her a medical. She had to work hard in a filthy conditions.
Susana R.

CHALLENGE #2 Why couldn't Dorothy milk a cow on the first day?

victoria_lavreniuc_85 — 2018-12-10 19:58:54 UTC

As many women didn't know how to milk the cows, they trained with "an apparatus like a rubber glove with teats".
Montse S.
This is not exactly the answer.
Marta
The first day Dorothy only got about a teaspoon of milk in her bucket because “cows don’t like new people, and they hold back their milk”. But after a few days, Dorothy was able to milk as well as someone that had been done this for years.
Katherine V.
This is the right answer.
Marta

CHALLENGE #3 Why did the Land Girls complain during the Victory Parade?

victoria_lavreniuc_85 — 2018-12-10 20:02:27 UTC

Land Girls were complained during the Victory Parade, because they didn't receive the recognition they would have hoped. They were put behind the boy scouts, and they considered their job more efficiently than that. So in the end, they were moved behind the ATS, due to their determined. Virginia G.

2018-12-14 10:59:31 UTC

It is remarkable that the farmers (bosses) did not have any consideration with women; they had to work many hours per day, doing a really hard job and making very little money. On top of that, they did not receive the recognition they disserved and they had to complain to get it (challenge 3). The importance of Land Army could be summarize in something Dorothy said: “if it hadn´t been for us, a lot of people wouldn´t have eaten”.

Additionally, something that caught my attention was that women wearing trousers, something normal nowadays, was unusual for Mrs. Cane. For me, it could be one of the multiple ways to represent the change in the way that women were seen those days. In general they were at home and taking care of their families and WWII gave them the opportunity to show that women are capable of everything. Katherine V.

2018-12-15 13:03:54 UTC

They did very hard work as well as poorly paid.

Basically it's not so different nowadays. Working the land always seems to be very ungrateful.
Alberto S.

Land Army

2018-12-15 23:47:46 UTC

I was astonished to find out that those land girls seemed to enjoy their work. It was dirty, dangerous and really hard work but it gave them freedom and independence. Although they were low-paid, they could earn their own money and spent it as they wished.
Victoria L.

LAND ARMY.

2018-12-16 11:59:26 UTC

According to Mrs Crane, in the book 'What did you do in the war, mum? ' they travelled on the train with soldiers, but they were carefully segregated.
She worked without protection from the machinery, and sometimes it was slippery, especially if straw was under your feet.
Loli R.

2018-12-16 17:12:22 UTC

This text shows the important work that women did in agriculture and on farms during WW2. I admire that despite the difficulties and the little money they earned, they did a great job with enthusiasm.
Pedro C.

2018-12-16 17:30:45 UTC

Most of the women who worked on the farms wore trousers for the first time.
Leli S.

THE WOMEN´S LAND ARMY

2018-12-16 20:43:48 UTC

The British government wanted to increase the amount of food grown in Britain. In order to grow more food, more help was needed on the farms. This is the reason why the government started the Women's Land Army in June 1939.

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.

Ana V.

2018-12-16 21:06:55 UTC

I´ve really appreciated the fact that those women were proud of being Land Girls. After all: " If it had not been for us, a lot of people wouldn´t have eaten" A sentence with a crushing truth.
Pag. 7 Elena R.

The two sides of the story

anamora — 2018-12-16 21:17:19 UTC

I would like to emphasize that for many women working in the Land Army changed very important aspects of their lives and their personalities. Suddenly, they started to earn their own money and they were more independent, had more freedom and could choose what to do in their free time. It was one of the few good consequences of the war. However, one of the bad things was what Mrs. Crane said: “A common complaint among women who worked in the Land Army was fibrocytis or inflammation of the fibres of the back”.p. 4.
Ana Mo.R.

The Land Girl

2018-12-16 22:19:35 UTC

Working in the Land Army was very hard, because sometimes they had night duty and you were lucky if you got to sleep for an hour the next day, although some women as Bridget say: I wish I was back with it, even at the age I am.

José A. BP

Land Army

2018-12-16 22:51:14 UTC

From my point of view, the Land Army was one of the most important roles that women played in the Second World War, as with their work many people could be fed.
I was also impressed by the ability to adapt, since many of them had never worked in the countryside.
They left their homes in the city with the main objective of contributing to the war, even though wages were very low.

Celia T

PESTS

vespejodlf — 2018-12-17 13:07:36 UTC

Working a minimum of 50 hours a week, including jobs as unpleasant and dangerous for health as eliminating pests of rats and other animals, make the Land Girls deserve the highest consideration and acknowledgement of British people.
Vicente E.

What type of apparatus did she use?

2018-12-18 12:22:02 UTC

Do you want to see the apparatus that Dorothy describes on page 6? Here it is! Now, you can imagine the hilarity that went on squirting it around!
Elena L.

Land Army

2018-12-19 14:15:37 UTC

I was surprised when I read this part of the book because I have always thought that this type of job was made by men instead of women. In any case, it was a very dedicated job which you had to learn very quickly.

Ana M. de H.

LAND ARMY

2018-12-19 18:23:38 UTC

I couldn´t understand why the volunteers in the land army enjoyed that kind of work, because they were dangerous and a bit hard, but I realised they preferred to be free and earn their own salary, because most of them were living at their parents' houses and they didn't have any freedom. Another thing that has caught my attention is the girls that were trained to work in anti-vermin squads. Land girls in anti-vermin had to kill rats, and currently it is normal for girls to refuse to be in contact with rats. But when you have a need and you have to work, all fear disappears. I really think these women were wonderful.
CARLOS T.

Wages in the Land Army

2018-12-20 14:31:47 UTC

I think that the salary that these women received was not in line with the importance that this work had. they worked hard with hardly any days off. So, their work was not valued as they deserved.

Irene T.

Land Army

2018-12-20 14:45:59 UTC

In the case of the Land Army, women from cities had to get used not only to doing the tough work of farming, but also to living in the countryside next to or with the farmer's family, where they used to be billeted. According to the book accounts, some land girls were rejected by farmers, in one case just after seeing her, because she wasn't considered strong enough to work there. On the other hand, some women asked to be transferred, since they had some trouble with farmers.
Trini M.

WOMEN

2018-12-20 17:00:56 UTC

Women in The Land Army had to do really back-breaking work, and sometimes quite filthy. In addition to this, they had to change their billets because they weren´t well fed and paid for their work. It´s amazing how the most of them would like to be back at this time, despite the hardship they went through.
Isabel G.

Land Girls

2018-12-20 17:16:28 UTC

I recommend to wacht the Land Girls series on Netflix, because you can observe the details we have read in the book and it is very interesting. Montse S.

I was surprised that most of the women did not belong to the rural world, and they had never been away from home.Mario C.

2018-12-22 08:14:07 UTC

2018-12-22 17:21:20 UTC

It is surprising how the incorporation of women into the army and their fundamental work during the two world wars contributed to their later being taken into account as agents of change and transformation of society. Unfortunately, this change still requires considerable effort. 
D.Serrano
Into the navy?
Marta

Independence and Freedom

2018-12-23 08:12:38 UTC

Although Land Army work was hard, dangerous and dirty, it made them independent. They could earn their own money and spend it as they wished. They had more freedom.
Curra L.