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

The year 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of final demobilisation of the Women's Land Army in 1950. The employment of over 200,000 land girls on British farms, replacing male farm labourers who joined the armed forces, contributed to the nation's ultimate successes in both the world wars. WLA was, though, regarded as the 'Cinderella' service, receiving far less appreciation than other wartime organisations. Land girls received lower pay, were billeted away from home, had hard physical work to perform, suffered harsh winter weather, and often had inadequate clothing. Hampshire's contributions were substantial; it might have been the first county to embrace the need for women farm workers, to have more members per head of population, Sparsholt College devoted almost its entire curriculum to training women and girls for employment on British farms, and both First World War ministers of Agriculture came from the county.