Voices for History - Essex Land Girls

Book excerpt: As much as 70 percent of Essex is agricultural, and given its proximity to the capital it's not surprising that so many members of the Women's Land Army found themselves on Essex farms and fields during World Wars I and II. Thanks to the work of the Women's Land Army, Britain did not starve. This book includes not only interviews with some of the last surviving land "girls," but a wealth of material unearthed in diaries, letters, and in the stories handed down from one generation to the next about women in Essex who were, literally, wearing the trousers. They were not all Essex girls, and many arrived from the cities never having seen a cow or a tractor. The wit, camaraderie, and British spirit that served us so well during those tumultuous years shines through in every story, and will leave a lasting impression.