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Schools Assisting Food Production in WW2

Old Boy

Old Boy

master brummie
Hi All,

During WW2 many farm workers went into the armed forces. The Womens Land Army was formed to replace them. However, during busy periods they needed extra help and that is where the schools came in.

I went to Waverley Grammar School and during holidays (Easter and Summer) we went to camp at Arrow, near Alcester. At the beginning of each week the farmers would arrive with lorries or tractors and take as many of us that they needed to their farms for various jobs. For instance potato picking (back breaking) or picking fruit. We were paid reasonable sums for those days and it was welcome extra pocket money.

Of course, only the senior pupils were involved. As far as Waverley was concerned the boys slept in tents and the girls in the church hall. I never realised it at the time but I was reverting to the life of my ancestors who, in the main, were agricultural labourers.

Did anyone else on the forum take part in these activities? Aston Commercial I know went to Broom in Warwickshire.

Old Boy
 
At Kings Norton Grammer School we helped raise Pigs and were rewarded with a nice piece of pork when they met the end of life
Regards
JH
 
I went to Aston Commercial but not until 1951 but we still went to Broom for I think it was 3 weeks in the summer, we also did potato picking and soft fruits, but only in the mornings. We were housed in old Nissen huts, I don't remember being paid for our work, but we had a great time, one of the teacher's husband had a guitar and we used to have sing songs in the evenings and also put on a concert towards the end of our time there.
 
In about 1948 I went pea picking with the school somewhere in Lancashire, slept in ex army bell tents, we took our own 'cook' a lady who I think must have been the worst cook in Birmingham. {Its funny the things you remember}
 
land army a.png
My mother in law, now deceased god rest her soul was in the land army for the duration of WW2. She worked on a farm on the east coast, not far from Skegness, I am not sure of the exact location. She told me that whilst working in the fields they would watch a number of bombers take off, they would count them as they left the ground then recount them several hours later as they returned. There would always be a shortfall because of enemy action.
 
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