b'Dorothy Beaumont: Land Army GirlKate & Mike PrattBased on material supplied by Dorothys brother, Frank and daughter, Christineup till they were 21, there was an acute shortage of manpower, particularly for the harvest. It must have been frustrating for farmers to lose their experienced workers, and have them replaced with absolute beginnersand women to boot!The first Land Girls were paid 28 shillings a week, ten shillings below the average farm wage (which was itself less than half the national weekly average for unskilled labour in other occupations); from this they paid their board and lodgings, though their uniforms were provided for them: The Land Army uniform comprised fawn cord knee breeches, matching shirts, a green tie striped with red and bearing the letters WLA in yellow, and a figure-hugging green sweater, cropped at the waist. The legs were clad in thick wool socks which were worn turned down over the hem of the breeches and the shoes were stiff leather boots or brogues. On dress occasions the outfit was set off by a brown trilby-style felt hat. A green felt armband with the letters WLA embroidered in red, surmounted by a crown, completed the outfit. Length of service was indicated by red diamonds which were sent out at six-monthly intervals by the county office. In the spring of 1942 the fawn officer-style greatcoat made its appearance.There was also a black oilskin mac and souwester while in summer the breeches were replaced by camel-coloured dungarees. Like almost everything else, the uniform was on coupons 1The Dubrovnik ConnectionWhen Frank and Anne Beaumont set out for a weeks holiday in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in April this year, Dorothy in her Land Army uniform after beingthey little imagined that it would provide a link with presented with her certificate of merit Franks adolescence during the Second World War, when as a 10-year-old schoolboy he waved goodbye Background to his eldest sister Dorothy when she went forth to do her bit for King and Country in the Womens Land T he Womens Land Army was organised inArmy.World War II by Lady Denman who had been aIn Dubrovnik Frank and Anne, along with the rest serving member during the 1st World War. It was anof their party, were taken on a guided tour by a very impressive force, encompassing a quarter of a millionknowledgeable and entertaining lady guide, Tea, who women and lasting for 11 years from 1939.ended the tour in a local art and craft gallery, where The scheme got off to a slow start, as initiallydates and the local liquor had to be sampled. During many farmers were convinced that they would notthis pleasant duty, Teas English partner, Steve, asked be able to do the hard manual work necessary, butwhereabouts in England they came from; their reply gradually the Land Girls were able to prove theirof Yorkshire led Steve to reveal that his sister Kate worth. Although by 1940 farm workers were not called 1Quoted from They Fought in the Fields: the Womens Land Army by Nicola Tyrer (1996)BULLETIN 8 121'