History Note – March - Women’s History Month:

An ex-Naval Officer is on a mission to trace the County’s Second World War Land Girls. This is particularly relevant in the month of March which is Women’s History Month. Royal Naval Officer , Becks Pearson from Lympstone, Devon, has a long standing interest in all things military. Along with a feature last year in an issue of Devon Life magazine, Becks also has a Facebook Page for people to engage with. The Facebook page is called ‘Devonshire Land Girls’ and is a relatively new page in the early stages of development.

One such girl was Rosie who was from London. Rosie was the eldest of seven children and responded to an advert to join the Land Army Girls. She was just 18 years old. She was offered a placement down in Devon and travelled down by train from London Waterloo station to Exeter Central station. There along with several other girls they were collected by a lorry and taken to Honiton Clyst to a Nissen hut near the airport water tower. This tower came in handy to the girls on warm days when they would climb it and use the water to swim in!

Rosie commented on the lovely blue skies and big open spaces in Devon which seemed huge compared to the city of London.

The girls were collected by lorries with between 15-20 of them and taken to various farms where work was needed. Some of the farm locations were Killerton, Starcross and Dawlish.

The same lorry transport would take the girls into the City and in particular the old Civic Centre in Queen Street next to the old market. Here the girls would go dancing still wearing their boots and it was at one of these dances that Rosie met her sweetheart man. She married aged 21 to her husband who was a local man from Heavitree.

Rosie had many friends but in particular Helen and Peggy. Helen lived in Honiton Clyst.

Rightly so, the Land Army Girls were recognised for their hard work and dedication to keeping people fed during hard times. The recognition came in the form of a badge and certificate. The ‘Devonshire Darlings’ as they were often referred, certainly did their bit, so it is an honour and privilege to recognise the brave work of our Devonshire girls here on the RAF Exeter website.

Poem by Norfolk Land Girl Dorothy Allen.

​Land Girls Day:

Sing a song of Land Girls

Up before it’s light,

With four-and-twenty jobs to do

Before the breakfast bite,

When the breakfast’s overwhelmed

There’s little to be done,

Except to plough and furrow

And let the harrows run,

And shear the sheep, and top the beet,

And feed the squealing swine,

And brush the hedge, and thatch the rick,

And milk the gentle kine,

And spread the muck and sow the wheat,

And clean and dress the land,

And things like that which city folks

Can never understand.

Images index:

Image 1 - is the cover of The Land Girl magazine from January 1944. Image credited to original copyright.

Image 2 - Violet Blackmore (left) and Dorothy Bending, two Ottery St Mary girls who did their bit by joining the Land Army during World War Two. Sourced from the book 'Wartime Exeter and East Devon.

Image 3 - The Land Army Girls Service Poppy Pin.

Image 4 - Join the Women's Land Army poster.

Image 5 Members of the Women's Land Army were stationed at Fairview, Honiton during World War Two and after an interim reunion in 1974 at the Angel, held a 50th Anniversary reunion at the Honiton Motel on 11 July 1992. Sourced from the book 'Wartime Exeter and East Devon.

Image 6 - Women from all walks of life joined the Land Army and learnt all sorts of new skills. This one seen on a farm near Honiton is thatching a hayrick. Sourced from the book 'Wartime Exeter and East Devon.

Image  7 - Pictured at Fairview around 1944 can be seen Mary Keyhoe, Joyce Marsden, Jean Gordon, Vera Tanner, Dolly Wilkes (the hostel warden), Pauline Bowden, Florrie Bailey, Kath Allen, Agnes Wardle and Doreen Wilson. Sourced from the book 'Wartime Exeter and East Devon.