Women on the Land By Carol Twinch The remarkable story of how and why the Land Army was formed, and how women from all kinds of backgrounds helped with food production during the two World Wars. ISBN-13: 9780718828141 Specifications: 234x153mm, 176pp, Hardback with b&w illustrations Price: £19.50 • US$42.50 Publication: November 1990 Order this Title Now

About this Book

Women on the Land tells the remarkable story of women's contribution to agriculture and forestry during the two World Wars. It traces the formation and history of the Women's Land Army, and shows how women, mostly untrained and from non-farming backgrounds, helped maintain food production for a beleaguered nation, by filling the places of men away at the war. At the height of the First World War the Land Army had a full-time membership of 23,000 members, a number that was to exceed 80,000 during the Second World War.

The book pays tribute to women like Lady Denman, who administered the Land Army during the Second World War and who was its chief inspiration and driving force, and also outlines the part played by other women's groups in wartime. Containing many first-hand reminiscences by the women who served, and a number of evocative illustrations, Women on the Land highlights the years when women were effectively to challenge long-established preconceptions as to what properly constituted 'women's work'.

About the Author

Born in Suffolk, Carol Twinch has travelled widely, working on salvage boats in the Caribbean and in the cane fields of Queensland. She and her husband now farm in Norfolk, where they live with their two children. For three years she was Editor of Farming in East Anglia, and has also worked in local television. She has contributed to a number of magazines, including The Countryman and Farmers Weekly, and has written several books on poultry management and sheep rearing.