Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website

Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website



Additions will be checked before being published on the website and where possible will be forwarded to the person who submitted the original entries. Your contact details will not be forwarded, but they can send a reply via this messaging system.


19

Joyce Watts

Land Army

I lied about my age when I signed up to join the land army at the age of 15.

I did my training in Whimple, Devon. I was then drafted to a farm at Lapford.

I had to get up at 4.30 in the morning to milk the cows. In the winter my hands got chapped and very painful when I milked the cows. It was all so primitive to me on the farm. I came from London and our house had all the modern convieniances. On this farm I had a candle for a light in my bedroom, the loo was outside and water was obtained from a pump. Despite all this, I must say, I had plenty to eat and the farmers wife was a good cook.

One day the superviser came to visit and I guess she realised how young I was because she arranged for me to go to a hostel near Plymouth. I was sorry to leave in one way as I loved to work with the horses. I could write a lots more about other good things on the farm. At the hostel I made friends with lots of girls. One girl, Olga, became a very good friend. We remainded friends and communicated untill her death in 1999.

The Land army days were some of the best years of my life. Olga and I went back and stayed on a farm that we had worked on.

That farmer and his wife have since passed away. Maybe the reason I have out lived them is because I was so young when I was working there.

I guess time is marching on but we still have our memories of the good times that we had.



Please type your message:     

We recommend you copy the text about this item and keep a copy on your own computer before pressing submit.
Your Name:            
Email Address:       @

**Please type the first part our your email in the first box (eg. john.smith) the @ sign is added automaticallly, please type the second part in the second box (eg. gmail.com). Do not enter your full email in each box or add an @ sign or random spaces.**

Please type in the code shown here: CAPTCHA Image   

If you are unable to read the code please click here.

If you have received an error message for incorrect code, please click to refresh the code before resending. This should overcome the error message.