Woman's Land Army
Moderators: Global Moderators, Pandabean
-
BrainA
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 10:27 am
- Location: Edinburgh. Scotland
Woman's Land Army
I am trying to find information on the 'Land Girls' in Scotland during and after WW2. My G Aunt (Margaret Bell) served from 1942 until 1945/6, stationed in Ayrshire and later the Borders. I know the official records no longer exist and there are a number of good books on the subject. However, does anyone know of records (official or unofficial) still existing, or other sources of information?
-
Currie
- Posts: 3924
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
- Location: Australia
Re: Woman's Land Army
Hello BrainA,
You have probably seen the NA page for the Land Army. Note that a Commemorative Badge may be available and that Scottish Index Cards are held by National Records of Scotland. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help ... land-army/
Near the end of this NAS pdf there's an item numbered 4026. Not sure what it's all about. http://www.nas.gov.uk/documents/annualR ... 1_2002.pdf
“4026. Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre. Earlston Women’s War Work Party,
the Civil Defence corps and WVS, 1939-63. Address books containing information on Earlston
servicemen, including names, numbers, addresses, reported whereabouts etc, 1939-40; list of
servicemen and women and Land Army, 1943; correspondence, 1939-59. Earlston Women’s War
Work Party: minutes, 1939-46; reports, 1941-45. WVS: minute book, 1956-59. Civil Defence
Corps: certificates of enrolment, 1953-57; training register, 1958-59. (Archivist, Scottish
Borders.) 6 pages.”
Part 3 and 4 of 19th Century British Library Newspapers has Dundee and Aberdeen newspapers to 1950. NLS appears to still only have parts 1 and 2, but not necessarily. (most Scots would probably find parts 3 and 4 much more useful than the English newspapers subscribed to.) The Scotsman to 1950 is also accessible from home. Failing that there's the British Newspaper Archive if you can get into the Reading Room. https://auth.nls.uk/ldc/browse.cfm?by=subject&sid=99
Searching the Scottish newspapers in the WW2 years for “land army” or “land girls” gives many results, if necessary add a location to the search to narrow it down.
Hope that helps,
Alan
LATER: You can also pick up odds and ends from the Glasgow Herald by varying the search terms in this Google News Archive site search. (but keep at least one of them Scottish) https://www.google.com.au/webhp?complet ... d+girls%22
You have probably seen the NA page for the Land Army. Note that a Commemorative Badge may be available and that Scottish Index Cards are held by National Records of Scotland. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help ... land-army/
Near the end of this NAS pdf there's an item numbered 4026. Not sure what it's all about. http://www.nas.gov.uk/documents/annualR ... 1_2002.pdf
“4026. Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre. Earlston Women’s War Work Party,
the Civil Defence corps and WVS, 1939-63. Address books containing information on Earlston
servicemen, including names, numbers, addresses, reported whereabouts etc, 1939-40; list of
servicemen and women and Land Army, 1943; correspondence, 1939-59. Earlston Women’s War
Work Party: minutes, 1939-46; reports, 1941-45. WVS: minute book, 1956-59. Civil Defence
Corps: certificates of enrolment, 1953-57; training register, 1958-59. (Archivist, Scottish
Borders.) 6 pages.”
Part 3 and 4 of 19th Century British Library Newspapers has Dundee and Aberdeen newspapers to 1950. NLS appears to still only have parts 1 and 2, but not necessarily. (most Scots would probably find parts 3 and 4 much more useful than the English newspapers subscribed to.) The Scotsman to 1950 is also accessible from home. Failing that there's the British Newspaper Archive if you can get into the Reading Room. https://auth.nls.uk/ldc/browse.cfm?by=subject&sid=99
Searching the Scottish newspapers in the WW2 years for “land army” or “land girls” gives many results, if necessary add a location to the search to narrow it down.
Hope that helps,
Alan
LATER: You can also pick up odds and ends from the Glasgow Herald by varying the search terms in this Google News Archive site search. (but keep at least one of them Scottish) https://www.google.com.au/webhp?complet ... d+girls%22
-
BrainA
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2015 10:27 am
- Location: Edinburgh. Scotland
Re: Woman's Land Army
Alan thank you, there's a lot of useful info to work on. Much obliged.
Regards, Brian
Regards, Brian