Birmingham reunion of Land Army girls
Mar 14 2009 by Jane Tyler, Birmingham Mail
Comrades in arms: Land girls during the Second World War
She said it was hard work, starting work at 6am every day, and continuing right through until tea time.
Iris Dowdeswell, aged 83, from Halesowen, joined when she was 17 and stayed in for three-and-a-half years.
She was stationed at a market garden near Evesham where she grew vegetables, getting involved with the planting and harvesting.
“I enjoyed it 99 per cent of the time,” she said. “I had my digs provided and met some lovely girls and stayed in touch with them for a couple of years after the war.”
Doreen Hlawiczka, aged 83, from Selly Oak, also joined when she was 17 and stayed in seven years.
She was stationed in Ombersley, Worcester, Romsley, Uttoxeter, Stourbridge and Marston Green.
“I did everything in the fields, milking the cows by hand,” she said.
Annie Reynolds, aged 80, from Kings Heath, moved to Worcester as a 17-year-old when she joined.
“I remember climbing to the top of a haystack to eat my lunch and getting chased out of a field by a bull,” she said.
