Timeline 1949

Miss Curtis, Chief Administration Officer from Women's Land Army (WLA) HQ visited Bedfordshire WLA, 24 March (Land Army News, April 1949 (Vol.2 No.11) p3).

Pamela Edgeworth (centre) with fellow workers at Lower Dean Farm

New wage rates ranging from 55 shillings (2.75p) per week for under 18s to 71 shillings (3.55p) for 21 and over for a 47 hour week (from 51 shillings to 66 shillings for 44 hours). Additional pay for overtime.
Bolnhurst Hostel closed, end of April.
Hostels in county now benefited from the Hostels Welfare Fund for new curtains, cushions and lampshades, wireless sets, gramophones and pick-ups, sewing machines and hair dryers, etc.
Milking and dairy proficiency test results.

Margaret Conlin and Trixie Saunders, Milton Ernest Hostel.

Seventh anniversary hostel party at Leighton Buzzard. Miss Curtis, Chief Administration Officer from WLA HQ visits Bedfordshire WLA, 24 March.

Leighton Buzzard land girls at a herb farm

Clifton Hostel group

Clifton hostel group

Dressmaking classes are held for privately employed land girls. (Land Army News June 1949 (Vol.3, No.1) p4).

"Land girls hold own Harvest Home" Photograph and article on large gathering of 400 Bedfordshire land girls at Hasells Hall, Sandy, for a nine hour revelry on Saturday 6 August. Inter-hostel sports events in afternoon on the grass terrace of the country house. Tea, presentations then a concert and dance followed by fireworks (Bedfordshire Times, 12 August 1949 p4).
WLA recruiting advert slide shown during film programme at Picturedrome Cinema, Bedford, and Savoy Cinema, Luton.
Messrs. Bacchus Ltd., Bedford, and Blundells Ltd., Luton, each lent a window for WLA recruitment drive displays (Land Army News, August 1949 (Vol.3, No.3) p4).

Cople Hostel land girls busy pea picking.

"If Land Girls wonder why their own county no longer has a Land Army office but has to share one, the reason is that now the Land Army is smaller it is wasteful to have as many offices as before. A lot of attention is also given to the cost of running hostels and in Counties where there are a good many vacant beds some hostels are being closed." (Land Army News (September 1949 (Vol.3, no4) p1).

Many Bedfordshire land girls worked for market gardeners.

Sylvia Burns was one of many Bedfordshire land girls worked for market gardeners.

"Land Girls who rose to a great occasion". County office in Bedford closed. From 20 November, until 30 November 1950, the land girls of Bedfordshire (as of Northamptonshire) would come under the regional administration of the Buckinghamshire County Secretary at its office in High Wycombe.
Approx three hundred land girls now employed in Bedfordshire and steadily decreasing (Bedfordshire Times, 18 November 1949 p5).
Minister of Agriculture announced, in a statement to the House of Commons (31 Oct 1949) that the WLA was to be disbanded in November 1950: "Now that there are more regular workers in agriculture there is not the same need to go on recruiting extra labour from the towns and, therefore, the Land Army's purpose has been achieved and the organisation can go into honourable retirement."
Recruitment for work with the County War Agricultural Committees had been stopped (within the limit set by demand, girls would be accepted up to 31 March 1950, for employment with individual farmers (Land Army News, Nov 1949 (Vol.3, No.6) p1).

"Hostels have been closing: Toddington, Ravensden, Sharnbrook, Clifton, Hasells (Sandy)" (Land Army News January 1950 (Vol.3, No.8) p4).

Page last updated: 17th October 2013