General Chat

On Sunday a small village not too far away from here had an open garden and scarecrow day, so o.h. and I went there, as usual late as he went to his father's first. I knew it was the village near where my Mum was a Land Girl and she met my Dad there toward the end of 1945. He was on demob from the army before going back to his home village near Buckingham.
Mum is a Norwich born girl but had been working in Cromer and then joined the Land Army and spent her time around the farms near there. I only found out six weeks before she died that she had been cycling home and Dad had whistled at her, the brazen hussy had stopped to speak to him I assume and the rest is history, they married two months later, a few days after Christmas 1945. Although they went back to Buckinghamshire to live, my Gran wasn't very nice to my Mum when my still-born brother was born, so they moved back to Norwich.
I found some photos of my Mum in her Land Army uniform a while back and also a letter from a fruit farmer (blackcurrant grower) in the village I am talking about. The letter was wishing Mum all the best for her future and sending £6 (quite a lot in those days) as a wedding gift. There was also a card from a present with the names Mrs T and David on.
I went to the village hall where the event was being organised from and asked if there were any much older people still alive in the village, bearing in mind my Mum would now be 93 if alive. I mentioned the people's names on the card and to my delight, was escorted to a house where the lady's grandson lived. He in turn took me to his Mum's house and her name was Lily T. when single, she is 83 but remembered my Mum because my Mum lodged with her and her family. She loved looking at the photos and named several of the Land Girls with Mum, saying some still lived in the village. Sadly one had died only a month ago and another was in hospital with a broken hip but another lived further along in the village and she had details of yet another who had moved to Kent. She remembered my Mum meeting my Dad and also that my Mum had at one time taken her to Norwich on the bus and they visited my favourite Aunt. I took some photos of my parents when they were older so she could see how they had aged and the house they lived in and she said how much I reminded her of my Mum too lol, altho I look more like my Mum as an old lady than when Lily knew her.
I don't know why my Mum didn't stay in contact with these people, I suppose it was because they moved to Bucks to start with and then when they came back they were busy getting work and a home together etc but it was lovely to meet Lily and she is going to see the other women and try and arrange for me to go back one afternoon and see them, maybe I will hear what escapades my Mum got up to lol
She did mention that at one time my Mum was friendly with a chap who owned a smallholding in the village but then Mum worked in another village and she thinks the romance fizzled out! Shame really as she said he was quite wealthy, trust my Mum to dump the well off one lol
I am so glad I asked about the people named and found Lily, I know it made her day as she is widowed now - she married a Welshman from Gowerton, but they stayed in Norfolk - and she said a fresh visitor is always welcome. It was strange to think I might have ended up being brought up in that village had Mum stuck with the smallholder lol

LIzx

What a special day Liz and how wonderful to meet someone who knew your Mum like that.
I do hope you get a chance to meet the other ladies too. I can imagine that meeting you will have stirred some very happy memories and be a talking point for many days to come.

Gwyn

that was a lovely day Liz, so nice to have contacts with someone who is part of your Mum's history.

ann
Glos

Liz,

Thank you for telling us about your visit to the village.

It is stories like this that turn boring genealogy, with just names and dates, to true family history. It is always the flesh on the bones of a story that makes our research mean something.


Elisabeth

Thanks all for the posts and pms, I had the photos scanned so will send them out in the next couple of days and will let you know if I get any feedback, unless the stories are too risque lol

Considering how sort of prudish in a way my Mum was and how she kept me tied to her apron strings lol, I am beginning to wonder now what she got up to, I don't remember her telling me about Jimmy for instance, lol

She did tell me stories of working on the farms and feeding the pigs, when one managed to make her tip the bucket of swill into her wellies lol

She had a cowboy hat and oh, those breeches! Good thing she was slim young thing then, and looked fairly ok in them!

Lizx

that was a lovely story, really enjoyed reading about your mum

Aw Liz how lovely for you. To find someone who remembered her is brilliant..
My mum was a tad too young to be in the land army but when she turned 16 she went to work in the foundry/factory as a coremaker,whatever that is?It's great to see her and her friends in their boiler suits and scarves tied round their heads,all Hilda Ogdens they are. lol
When she left school at 14 she worked at smiths crisps as a 'chute kid'.
Tricia xx

Rita, yes Mum had the sweater and such, and the tie! I have her badge somewhere. I had to laugh about the shoes and boots under the bed legs but a great idea to hang on to them! I sort of felt I wanted to ask Mum if she did that too lol

Tricia, I have seen pics of young women dressed like your Mum, they had some laughs I bet.

Lizx

Liz,
How lucky for you to meet up with the lady, and lovely to hear about your Mum like that.
I enjoyed reading your story and look forward to hearing about what happens when you go back.
Keep us posted please.

K

What a lovely story. My mother in law was in the land Army and I have some wonderful photos of her and her friends. Her closest friend married an american soldier and returned to America with him. My MIL stayed in touch with the firend until she died. They wrote to each other on alternate months and I had the priveldge to met the friend twice and her daughter. I wonder if there is any way of finding more info about these girls and am I right in thinking that UK gverment decided a while ago that they would be given medals>> I wonder if this can be obtained posthumously> Hope that is the right spelling.

Just read this, and how interesting to hear about your mums past.

I wish I knew more about my family's past, as they didn't discuss anything, and were very private people.

Hope you can go back and meet up with more people who remember your mum.

She probably wouldn't have been happy with the smallholder lol!!

That's a lovely story Liz. For me, that's what family history is all about.

Wish I could find out some tales like that of my lot!!

Don't know why someone has deleted all their posts, it does throw the context of a thread out sometimes, so silly in my opinion.

Haven't had a chance to send the photos yet but will do it this week.


BossyBoots, I was disappointed when I heard about the medals last year, as Mum would have loved one but they can't be obtained posthumously it said. She did go to a few reunions but I don't think any of the people except the organiser were girls she knew. I must ring the organiser up and ask her if there is anyone around now who would know her and tell her about these ladies at Trunch etc. It's lovely that your Mum stayed in touch with her friend like that.

Not long after Mum died, there was a showing of the film Land Girls on at a small local cinema and there was a special showing for Land Army girls so I rang Freda and asked if I could attend after the film to see if anyone was there who knew Mum, which I did. Freda announced that I would be there if anyone remembered my Mum but on that occasion there was no one to talk to about her, altho it was fun to talk to those ladies who had worked on the Land.

Lizx

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