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Women’s Timber Corps “Lumber Jills”

WINSTON

WINSTON

master brummie
Edit: There’s a separate thread about the Women’s Land Army here:

Women’s Land Army

hi i'm not sure this is the right place but are there records for the land army girls if so where can i find them. my aunt, i have always been told, was in the land army. but doing the math, she would only have been able to join in 1945 as she was born in 1928 and i got the idea she did it...
birminghamhistory.co.uk



The harsh life of a 'lumberjill'

just found this on the bbc website.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7212310.stm
lumberjills can now apply for a badge for their efforts in ww2.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7211640.stm
 
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Re: Womens Timber Corps

My Mum who is 88 now, was delighted to receive her Land Army badge a fortnight ago. She was in the Land Army at Corfe Mullen in Dorset to begin with, then transferred to the Isle of Wight where she was seconded to the Timber Corps. She is very proud of the fact that she served in both, but very disappointed that the letter with the badge wasn't from the Queen. (She dosen't like Gordon Brown or any politicians!)
 
Does anyone have any idea? I originally thought it was the Land Army but the hat badge does not look like a Sheaf of Corn. Unfortunately I can't see the badge very clearly.

doris.jpg
 
pjmburns said:
Were the land army and timber corps girls issued with jacketsas art of their uniform? All the photos I have seen have had them in heavy duty jumpers.
Click to expand...
true janice.
The Women's Land Army had a uniform - green jerseys, brown breeches, brown felt hats and khaki overcoats. However, the Land Army was not a military force and many women did not wear the uniform. Some women lived in hostels but most lived on individual farms.
 
Has to be Women's Timber Corps, as first suggested by jukebox, doesn't it! What a nice image. Is there any background information about this lady, Sue?

I imagine that these women could have served in any forested area of the U.K., wherever they were sent. And especially in the huge forests of the Scottish Highlands. There, they would have encountered members of N.O.F.U. - the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit, a group of men from that part of the world who had volunteered to come to the U.K. to work as lumberjacks in aid of the war effort.

I was once given some wonderful information about the life of one of these lumberjills and her romance with a NOFU lumberjack (who was also a Home Guard member), including many images of their activities in Scotland. It was online for a decade or more but I had to remove it because the original permission from the family was withdrawn due to internal tensions. Such a shame as that little fragment of WW2 history is now wholly lost to posterity!

Chris
 
For info there’s another thread which mentions the Lumber Jills. It mostly deals with getting proper recognition for the Corps. I shall extract out the Timber Coros info in due course and add it to this thread. But meanwhile here’s the thread:

Petition to recognise Women's Timber Corps & Women's Land Army

Hooray:)... I heard on the radio today 6th December 2007......at long last the surviving members of The Womens Timber Corps and Womens Land Army are to be recognised with a commemorative medal for their work during the war. Sadly my mom isn't alive.. but she would have been so pleased. I...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk

Viv.
 
ChrisM said:
Has to be Women's Timber Corps, as first suggested by jukebox, doesn't it! What a nice image. Is there any background information about this lady, Sue?

I imagine that these women could have served in any forested area of the U.K., wherever they were sent. And especially in the huge forests of the Scottish Highlands. There, they would have encountered members of N.O.F.U. - the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit, a group of men from that part of the world who had volunteered to come to the U.K. to work as lumberjacks in aid of the war effort.

I was once given some wonderful information about the life of one of these lumberjills and her romance with a NOFU lumberjack (who was also a Home Guard member), including many images of their activities in Scotland. It was online for a decade or more but I had to remove it because the original permission from the family was withdrawn due to internal tensions. Such a shame as that little fragment of WW2 history is now wholly lost to posterity!

Chris
Click to expand...
The photo is of an aunty of mine, born in 1903 in Rhyl, North Wales (my dad's sister), I know that in 1921 she was in service in Handsworth, Birmingham, but from 1934 to 1938 and again from 1946 to 1949 she was in service in London. In 1939 she was in service in Prestatyn. So I suspect this photo must have been taken sometime between 1940 and 45. Story has it that she worked in munitions in Coventry but I have never found any evidence. She was back in Rhyl in the early 1950's.
 
Just out of interest (probably only to myself!) when my aunt was in service in 1946 it was to Lady Elizabeth Beddoes-Rees who was the wife of Sir Beddoes-Rees who was eventually declared bankrupt. The story was featured in the "Sunday Pictorial"
 
Managed to enlarge the badge on my aunt's hat. I am still trying to find out what the uniform is, so does anyone recognise the badge? Sorry it's not a great picture.
 

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suemalings said:
Managed to enlarge the badge on my aunt's hat. I am still trying to find out what the uniform is, so does anyone recognise the badge? Sorry it's not a great picture.
Click to expand...
On closer look it could be an anchor. Women’s naval reserve perhaps? Did she live near the coast?
 
Is it possible to have her name then we can see if she comes up on any war service sites? I am not sure that wuld nclude lumber jills or land army but it might be worth a try.
 
Still putting my money on the Women's Timber Corps - Snowdonia perhaps?

The official badge (or one of them - could there have been versions with minor variations as well?)

Womens-Timber-Corps-Badge.jpg

We are looking at the badge at quite an acute angle. A bit like this:

IMG_2134.jpg

In both, the original worn by Sue's auntie and this one, the main feature is an image of a conifer with a break halfway up the trunk.

Chris
 
Chris - it is the hat and jacket which bother me. I can only find references to "lumber jills" wearing a green jumper and a beret. No mention for them or land army girls wearing (or being issued with) a jacket.
 
The hat is similar to this - civil defence volunteer but I don't think the jacket is rght.
1643569451654.png
 
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pjmburns said:
The hat is similar to this - civil defence volunteer but I don't hink the jacket is rght.
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NOTHING LIKE i serched ages and kept finding same answers. the badge on the hat like a letterT so i looked on transport they had unifurms
 
GeoffCaulton said:
The uniform looks like quite a few WW2 womens services but without doubt she is NAAFI.
The badge on her hat is NAAFI. This is the voided version also there is a solid one.
They have a number on the back. I own one. Put 'NAAFI Cap Badge in Google'
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Welcome to the forum ......thanks for info, can you post a pic of your cap badge please?
 
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