Hughes calls for Land Girls and Lumber Jills to step forward
February 5, 2008 12:00 AM
Simon Hughes, Member of Parliament for North Southwark and Bermondsey, is urging Second World War land girls and lumber Jills to apply now for the new badge which the government has announced.
The badge will recognise those surviving members of the Women's Land Army and Women's Timber Corps who worked on the Home Front to provide food and timber for the nation during World Wars I and II.
Launching the local for applicants, Simon Hughes said:
"The Women's Land Army, colloquially known as the Land Girls, worked on farms to feed the nation, while male workers went to war. At its peak in 1943 there were some 80,000 women working on the land, and it was continued after the war, finally being disbanded in 1950.
"The Women's Timber Corps, also known as the 'Lumber Jills', worked tirelessly in our forests to provide timber for the war effort, felling trees, sawing timber and sharpening saws.
''People from the old boroughs of Bermondsey, Camberwell and Southwark played great parts in our war effort. I know there are quite a few land girls and lumber Jills in Southwark and Bermondsey. At last they can have public recognition. The government has just announced that they are now entitled to a specially designed badge. It's a fitting way to pay tribute to their determination, courage and spirit in the face of adversity.
"I hope I receive many applications for this important badge."
Notes:
Applicants should contact Simon Hughes MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA or simon@simonhughes.org.uk. Applicants will need to supply date of birth, approximate dates of service in the Women's Land Army or Women's Timber Corps and the location at which they were stationed. Badges will not be able to be awarded to spouses or families of deceased members except where death has occurred after 6 December 2007. The badge is being specially designed by the Garter King of Arms and will bear the Royal Crown. It is expected that the first badges will be available by early summer.
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