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Land Army Girl - Mrs R Saunders cleaning pig sty. Coppins Farm, Iver, Slough circa 1940 photographer unknown

Life as a Land Army Girl

The War-time Volunteer
Rita Saunders (nee Fox) from Grimsby volunteered for the WRNS on the outbreak of war in 1939. But because of her work in greyhound racing kennels, the powers that be thought she would make a greater contribution on the home front in the Land Army — where there was work with animals. [The Women's Land Army had been formed during WW I by Lady Denham.] Rita's first post was a dairy farm in Upminster, followed by another short stay at a chicken farm in Cockfosters. This was run by Commander Lightholler, a survivor of the Titanic, who in 1940 repeatedly sailed a small boat he owned across the Channel to save several hundred servicemen from the Dunkirk beaches.

Rita, four Cows and some Pigs at Coppins
In that same year, 1940, Rita Fox came to Coppins farm in Iver, where she was to stay for the duration of the War. This was the small "home farm" of the Duke of Kent. At first there was just the bailiff, Rita and four cows and some pigs, but later on another Land Army girl joined them.

Work was hard:

"We started at 6.30 in the morning with the cows: milked and fed them and took to the big house whatever the cook had ordered for the day. Then cycle back to lodgings for breakfast. After breakfast whatever needed to be done in the morning. Home for dinner. Back again in the afternoon and if it was summertime – and we had 'double summertime' – it wasn't dark until 11 o'clock at night. We couldn't go until the chickens had gone to bed and they didn't do to bed until it was dark!".

The pay was low. There was not much left over after rent for lodgings, phone calls home and bicycle maintenance and, unlike the forces, no free passes on the railway but Rita was lucky enough to have a wonderful landlady.

VIP Visitors
Rita became part of the family, going to the Christening of Prince Michael and the funeral of the Duke (killed in a flying accident). Important visitors made a point of visiting the farm: Winston Churchill, General Smuts and others. One who made a particular impression was Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (much later, of course, the Queen's Consort, Prince Philip):

"He was the only one who came at 7 o'clock in the morning, propped up a doorpost and talked to us while we were milking"

Married Women Must Resign
Rita's sister, also a Land Girl, worked at Parsonage Farm, Ickenham. Paying a visit there, Rita met the Farmer Saunder's son, Alan. The eventual outturn was that in 1945 at Iver Church Rita and Alan were married. Marriage meant Rita had to resign from the Land Army.

So, a Milk Round
The newly married couple ran a milk round. Arthur bought the milk from his father and Rita kept the books. They went on until there was a legal requirement for all milk to be pasteurised. The equipment was too expensive for a small business so it was sold to United Dairies.

Then Pigs
Alan and Rita then worked for Mr Saunders on the farm. "We brought baby pigs in and put them by the fire, wrapped them in a blanket and even put them in the oven to keep warm". Wheat and corn were also grown.

Now Retirement
Alan and Rita Saunders retired to Lincolnshire where they still live. They have many fond memories of farming life in the Slough Area. But "Farming is no life today; there's too much red tape" and too little money, says Alan. "No fun in farming anymore. Used to be a whole gang of us in the hayfield; the women would bring out tea and we'd have a good laugh. Now it's all done by one bloke with a machine".

No Medal
Rita's regret is that service in the Land Army didn't get the recognition it deserved: "we were not allowed the Veterans' Medal."

Reference: Interveiw Rita and Alan Saunders
© STEAM 2005