Page 22 - RVM-HB-KTHFB
P. 22
Keep The Home Fires Burning
Growing Our Own!
Despite the shortage of labour, farmers were still very reluctant to take on women
workers even with certificate of proficiency. The representative of the local Agriculture
committee said, “The local farmers did not want any female labour at the moment they
already employed those women willing to work”. Farmers were mostly conservative in
their thinking and it took a while for new idea’s to be adopted, something that was in the
county committee’s remit to change. But change came slowly in first part of the war. At
a meeting at Bromsgrove one farmer thought, ”the generation of women who could work
on the land and prove of real worth, had gone out. Now they had to deal with the ‘new
women’ with 'new fangled' ideas.
The harvest of 1916 was wet, corn yields suffered as did the potato crops. In the local
area corn had been flattened and the potato crop had blight. There was a shortage of
home grown food, not only that but the following spring the U boat offensive, meant that
only 6 weeks of corn stocks were left in the whole country.
Local farmers found it easier to recruit children they were cheap, In March 1915 a debate
had been held in the house on Child Labour lead by Keir Hardy, this had lead to circular
898, 12 year old could released to work on the land for short periods of time. However
Counties could draft their own by-laws. By `1916 Worcestershire introduced a by-law,
allowing 11 year olds to work on the land for three days a week for six weeks. Farmers
could request a child to be released . Some of these children were the farmers own
children, Questions had been asked in the House of Commons but little could be done.
More Full time women trained by the Land Army began to be used, but female labour was
more likely to be part time casual and brought in a harvest time or for pea and potato
picking. Family member’s sisters and mothers are mentioned when rural tribunes were
tiring to judge whether a farmer’s son could be spared to fight.
The government realised the need to grow more food, and that too many men had been
removed from food production. The Army set up Agriculture Corps, and the Norton
barracks became base to 500 soldiers from the Worcestershire Regiment. They were
available to assist in the harvest for 5 shilling a day, some were trained tractor drivers.
As the tank had developed to replace the gun carriage, the tractor began to displace the
horse in agriculture. This new machine had been imported from America it had limited use
but was more effective as a pulling machine then horse or steam power.
By the 1917, the worth of the land girls had been shown and more farmers began to use
them. A women’s agriculture committee was set up, but they had the hard job of
convincing farmers that women workers were as good as the men they were replacing the
Land Army held rallies around the county to show of the skills of the women including
tractor driving. The Land Army girls were not used much by local farmers; they still
regarded women’s labour as additional labour when extra help was needed. This had been
the pattern of female labour before the war, as it was after the war.
Agriculture before the war had not given the economic help it needed. Its central
importance in the production of food during the time of war was not lost on politicians in
the next war. The organisation of food production was carried out in such a way that a
great deal of waste in money and man power. Only when the War continued and the U
boat campaign began to dig in the country’s reserves of food that real organisation of food
production became more effective.
Page: 22 Source: Sue Tatlow
Growing Our Own!
Despite the shortage of labour, farmers were still very reluctant to take on women
workers even with certificate of proficiency. The representative of the local Agriculture
committee said, “The local farmers did not want any female labour at the moment they
already employed those women willing to work”. Farmers were mostly conservative in
their thinking and it took a while for new idea’s to be adopted, something that was in the
county committee’s remit to change. But change came slowly in first part of the war. At
a meeting at Bromsgrove one farmer thought, ”the generation of women who could work
on the land and prove of real worth, had gone out. Now they had to deal with the ‘new
women’ with 'new fangled' ideas.
The harvest of 1916 was wet, corn yields suffered as did the potato crops. In the local
area corn had been flattened and the potato crop had blight. There was a shortage of
home grown food, not only that but the following spring the U boat offensive, meant that
only 6 weeks of corn stocks were left in the whole country.
Local farmers found it easier to recruit children they were cheap, In March 1915 a debate
had been held in the house on Child Labour lead by Keir Hardy, this had lead to circular
898, 12 year old could released to work on the land for short periods of time. However
Counties could draft their own by-laws. By `1916 Worcestershire introduced a by-law,
allowing 11 year olds to work on the land for three days a week for six weeks. Farmers
could request a child to be released . Some of these children were the farmers own
children, Questions had been asked in the House of Commons but little could be done.
More Full time women trained by the Land Army began to be used, but female labour was
more likely to be part time casual and brought in a harvest time or for pea and potato
picking. Family member’s sisters and mothers are mentioned when rural tribunes were
tiring to judge whether a farmer’s son could be spared to fight.
The government realised the need to grow more food, and that too many men had been
removed from food production. The Army set up Agriculture Corps, and the Norton
barracks became base to 500 soldiers from the Worcestershire Regiment. They were
available to assist in the harvest for 5 shilling a day, some were trained tractor drivers.
As the tank had developed to replace the gun carriage, the tractor began to displace the
horse in agriculture. This new machine had been imported from America it had limited use
but was more effective as a pulling machine then horse or steam power.
By the 1917, the worth of the land girls had been shown and more farmers began to use
them. A women’s agriculture committee was set up, but they had the hard job of
convincing farmers that women workers were as good as the men they were replacing the
Land Army held rallies around the county to show of the skills of the women including
tractor driving. The Land Army girls were not used much by local farmers; they still
regarded women’s labour as additional labour when extra help was needed. This had been
the pattern of female labour before the war, as it was after the war.
Agriculture before the war had not given the economic help it needed. Its central
importance in the production of food during the time of war was not lost on politicians in
the next war. The organisation of food production was carried out in such a way that a
great deal of waste in money and man power. Only when the War continued and the U
boat campaign began to dig in the country’s reserves of food that real organisation of food
production became more effective.
Page: 22 Source: Sue Tatlow
