Table of Contents
How much did land girls get paid in ww2?
Land girls were paid directly by the farmers who employed them. The minimum wage was 28s per week and from this, 14s was deducted for board and lodging.
What were the working conditions for the women’s Land Army?
All of these women worked long hours, especially during the summer, mostly outdoors and often in cold and rain. There was minimal training and most women were expected to learn about agricultural work while they were actually doing it. The Land Girls lived either on the farms where they worked, or in hostels.
Why was the women’s Land Army so important ww1?
The Women’s Land Army (WLA) was a British civilian organisation. It was created in 1917 by the Board of Agriculture during World War I to encourage women to work in agriculture, replacing men called up to the military. They picked crops and did all the jobs that the men would do.
What was work like for Land Girls in World War 2?
The work was hard, a 50-hour week, involving long days outdoors in all weathers, and the risk of injury. The letter below, reports that Betty Simon, a Land Girl working in Nottingham, had to return home on sick leave in 1942, as ‘her arms are useless through sun burn’.
What was the working week for Land Girls?
The basic working week for land girls was 48 hours in winter and 50 in summer. Initially there were no holidays – paid or unpaid, just a free travel pass after six months. However, conditions improved after 1943 with the introduction of the ‘Land Girls Charter’.
What did the women do in the WLA?
At its peak in 1944, there were more than 80,000 women – often known as ‘land girls’ – in the WLA. Land girls did a wide variety of jobs on the land. They worked in all weathers and conditions and could be directed to work anywhere in the country.
Where did the women of the land army live?
Many land girls lived in at the farms where they worked. However, in many rural areas, living conditions could be very basic and the lifestyle lonely. As larger numbers of women were recruited, hostels were set up to house land girls.