A Small Archive of Material

[MISS OLIVE READER]; THE WOMEN’S LAND ARMY 

A Small Archive of Material

1938-59 

A small archive of material relating to the life and work of women in the Women’s Land Army during the Second World War, comprising: 

• 23 x black and white photographs, 12 measuring 8.5 x 6cm, one measuring 13.5 x 8cm. The images show a series of predominantly unidentified women (and the occasional man) engaged in many aspects of farm work; the largest showing a woman riding a horse with the penned name ‘Pam Salter’ and the date (1943) in blue ink to the lower right hand corner. Others show women haymaking, harvesting vegetables, attending to goats or otherwise sitting atop cliffs or around camp fires. 

• An original WLA armband in green and red felt.  

• A letter of recommendation for Miss Olive Reader, dated January 6th 1938, recommending her for the position of Junior Assistant and Willesden Public Library. 

• A notification of training for Miss Reader, in the matter of poultry handling, on Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Women’s Land Army headed paper, with the lower portion of the form now contemporaneously excised. 

• A poster for Y.W.C.A. Services Hostel & Club (for women in the H.M. Forces), Liverpool.

• Two photo negatives in stamped addressed envelope for Mrs. A. Hughes.

• A letter signed from Cicely S Wyeth, dated 5th March 1943 on Women’s Land Army headed notepaper, recommending Miss Reader for a vacancy as part of the WLA at Horton Estate Farm, Epsom.

• A foot and mouth disease movement licence, completed in pencil for the movement of 8 cattle dated 20/7/45

• A leaflet entitled ‘How Boys May Become Farmers in New South Wales, the Mother State of Australia’ (front cover now detached); with the pen note ‘this describes the farms’ and a letter from a Harold to ‘mother’. Written from a training farm in Mulgrave, New South Wales, Harold writes that he enjoys his life on the farm very much, but that “I miss my home comforts & you”. The booklet is also annotated throughout with his notes showing bush work, ploughs, and the locations of the dormitories, dining house, offices etc.

• A collection of 17 letters in stamped addressed envelopes. 6 of these are addressed to O. Reader during her time at the Barracks in Ashtead, Surrey and date mainly from the year 1942. These are penned from her actively-serving brother Dennis, beginning in Kintyre, Scotland, moving to Chelsea, London, and latterly written from H. M. S. Vernon. Written on Liverpool Officer’s Club and Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth headed notepaper, they include endearing comments to his ‘Sweetest No 1 Sister’ and ‘Bright Green Light in my Darkness’ referring to her isolation amongst 3000 tomatoes (“O Queen of all the Tomatoes”) and other such farm-related subjects. He reminisces about their earlier years and states that ‘it certainly looks as if things can never be quite the same again’. There is also a tongue-in-cheek pencil sketch of a figure sitting in a trench with shells flying overhead and the inscription ‘Touchy-aren’t they?’ 

The remaining eleven letters date to after the war during the 1950s, when Olive had married and become Mrs Olive Hughes, and appear to be from friends made in the Land Army, with one having moved to Ontario, Canada, and another to Australia. 

General wear and tear, mostly affecting the envelopes and the leaflet, with some creases, browning and spotting in accordance with age, but generally all in excellent condition. 

A charming collection of material belonging to a Land Girl during the Second World War.