The Women’s Land Army (WLA), colloquially known as the Land Girls, was formed at the outbreak of World War II to work on the land, freeing the male workers to go to war. By 1943 there were some 80,000 young women working in every aspect of agriculture to feed the nation. With their uniform of green ties and jumpers and brown felt slouch hats, they worked from dawn to dusk each day, milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting crops.

The Women’s Timber Corps (WTC), also known as the ‘Lumber Jills’ worked tirelessly in the forests to provide timber for the war effort, felling trees, sawing timber and sharpening saws.

With the outbreak of peace the WLA remained in existence doing vital jobs on the land until demobilisation was complete. The WLA was formally disbanded in 1950.

On joining the W.L.A. every girl was supplied with two green jerseys, two pairs of breeches, two overall coats, two pairs dungarees, 6 pairs of stockings, three shirts, one pair of ankle boots, one pair of shoes, one pair of gum boots or boots with leggings, one hat, one overcoat with shoulder titles, one oilskin or mackintosh, two towels, an oilskin souwester, a green armlet, and a metal badge, After every six months of satisfactory service she received a half-diamond cloth badge which was sewn on the armlet: after two years service a special armlet, and a scarlet armlet to replace the two year one after four years service.

In fair weather or worse, the girls of the WLA worked extremely hard to grow food for the nation. For those workers of eighteen years of age or over they would receive 22/6d for a forty-eight hour week.

The main hostel for the Land Army girls was located at Plough Lane ( now part of the golf course) at Leavenheath.
Although Planning Consent (2008) has been approved to use the site for residential accommodation, the remains of the Hostel can still be seen.