MARY FISHER - A LAND GIRL FROM LUTTERWORTH

LAND ARMY GIRL EXPERIENCES IN WORLD WAR TWO

Mary Fisher lived near Lutterworth and was Mr H’s new land girl, his first land girl.

Normally girls went to a training school for six weeks but Mary just went to Joe H.

She worked with sacks of sugar beet, oats and all sorts of things.
Learnt how to milk a cow.
Learnt how to feed and measure as well.
Watched the farmers help a calf be born.
Next day they killed a pig, laid it on twigs and set it on fire to get rid of the hair- then had to scrape all the skin off.

She chose to live in.

Work was hard; she had to carry two 7-litre buckets, one in each hand.

Uniform was provided –
cord breeches to knee
long socks
green jersey
green tie
cream shirt
mac, overcoat
a hat
2 pairs of overalls

Mary was the sixth person to sign up in Leicestershire for the Land Army.

Sleeping area was in the attic

At night she could hear the bombing in Rugby, which was quite scary. Had to get up at 5.30 am.

Had to spread muck with a fork and to help to dock lambs tails. Ate the lambs’ tails which were apparently quite nice (tricked by farmer’s daughter).
A sheep got wool in its mouth so had to be killed – was able to take a whole leg ‘o’ lamb to her mum!

Pay was “10 shillings a week and me keep”.

Later she went to another farm “best farm I ever went to”

Milking with “Uncle Frank and Mr S.”
Learnt to make butter and cheese

In the Dairy was a mill wheel, shelves of cheeses, had to turn them over they were very heavy. There was ham and eggs for breakfast. Tea was in other room – Stilton with jam, strawberries and cream, cheese. She loaded the car with eggs, cheese, butter for market. They parked outside police office with things they were not allowed to sell but the police bought/traded things even the butcher traded. Good friends with Mr S…went to the field with him and helped him a lot.
Had to load horse and cart to get things/trade
The first week only got paid 5/- and eggs
Was given 20 £1 notes and gave because knew would have spent full wages
Was given 20 £1 notes for bank
Moved to “Walton-by-Kimcote” (old name)
Eldest son had farm in Gilmorton but could not walk across – flight path of Bruntingthorpe aerodrome
She sat in kitchen with cup of tea with her father because father was milk man. Father was very proud.
Mary went to Manor Farm and had real butter, marmite and mustard; met husband there
Every Tuesday she churned 32lb of butter. She took milk to school and the cows followed her to the school where children played. The cows were called Slumber, Velveteen 1 and 2 and Sapherine who was the ‘mardy’ one – kicked the milking bucket.
At milking, she had 4 cows at a time.
Their coats ‘gleamed and steamed’ in the cold weather
Once she got trapped between cows and one landed on top
Could not have a bath but took one anyway in trough of warm water! Everyone had one
She invented bathing in the dairy.
Soldiers came once, had cart full of muck – one soldier was showing her dancing and fell in muck!!
Was in the Land Army for 2 years
New Land Army girl called Elsie was very “posh” sounding, showed her a pig called Elsie
Mary drove tractor to Mr M’s farm and got to drive it up the field
Warble flies laid eggs on cows spine, had to get them out
Once was up on the haystack – too frightened to come down
Four Land Army girls slept in one room with a concrete floor and prima-stove and bucket on top in middle of floor.
At the last place they were not fed very well, instead of eating fresh vegetables were given DANDELIONS!!

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