Women's Land Army and Heene
The Land Army was formed to keep farms staffed while the male farm hands were fighting in the great war. In the summer of 1939, with war looming once again, agricultural training was offered to women. The government provided some courses and during the war, farmers were offered 15 shillings a week to cover the board and lodgings of recruits while they were in training.
Women and girls were recruited to take on the routine, every day, farmers jobs; milking cows, ploughing fields, planting crops,
shepherding and digging potatoes. Young female relatives of Heene Cemetery residents were targeted by adverts in the press. Hetty Reay Clifford Forbes-Adam was the Women's Land Army organiser for West Sussex. She lived at Carylls Country House, Faygate Lane, Faygate not far from Horsham. She was very active in recruiting women and often organised special events in h her magnificent home to honour the work of the land army.
Up to 80,000 women formed the Land Army and their service is recorded on a series of index cards. Initially, their name, address and usual occupation was collected with the date of their recruitment. This was updated with the date when they retired or resigned from the service. If they married during service their index card was amended with their married surname.
My Aunty Betty was a Land Army girl and joined service in the winter of 1942. Unlike many recruits, she was well qualified to add to the war effort.
From childhood she had helped her parents with their market garden in rural Sussex. Betty joined the Land Army at Worth Abbey, near Balcombe, where she worked until 1945. She returned to work on her parents' small holding, looking after hens, growing flowers and vegetables, trimming hedges, fixing fences and selling produce at markets.
Land Army Women with relatives buried in Heene Cemetery:
Student teacher, Milli
cent Mary Collet of Warwick Gardens, Worthing, joined the land army in 1940 as a mobile recruit. She was the niece of Alison and Ferdinand Gates. She resigned months after joining presumably to continue her studies as a teacher.
Marjorie Edith Sa
ms was the granddaughter of William Sams and Betty Beeson Sams. She was formerly a kennel worker but joined the land army in West Sussex on 20th September 1940 from 82 Rowlands Road, West Worthing. She left the land army on 2nd October 1944 after her marriage to Goodman.
The Ayling and Wenban-Smith families also had relatives in the land army.
I would like to hear from anyone with relatives in the land army.
Pat Brownbill