1940s: Life as a land girl in the 1940s

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Land girls, L to R: Jean Irwin, Madge “Freckles” Faulkner, Marj Fairbrother, Alice Fryatt, Morran Priestley and Audrey Stubbs at Repton in September 1943

Land Army girl Marjorie Bennett

Marjorie at the Welcome Home celebrations in Littleover, in 1947

Marjorie with her husband, Jack Bennett, in 1997

WHEN her dreams of becoming a Wren in the Navy during the war were dashed, because she was too young, 17-year-old Marjorie Fairbrother, of Littleover, became a land girl instead. Despite not being her first choice, it turned out to be three years of fun, in addition to the hard work and long hours.

Afterwards, when hostilities were over and the village held a Welcome Home celebration in 1947 for the men and women who had returned safely, Marjorie, then 21, was chosen to speak on behalf of all the women wartime workers.

“I had hardly been more than a few miles away from home, so I didn’t really feel it was my job. But the Land Army was the war work many women undertook, so I was asked to thank the Littleover villagers who had worked so hard, sending parcels out to all the local boys and girls who were serving at home or abroad.

“For me, living in Repton and near Chatsworth, it was soaps and toothpaste, for which I was grateful. But those who had been posted further away had received lots of food parcels and necessities, thanks to Littleover’s generosity.”

Marjorie, now Mrs Bennett and aged 79, worked on land at Repton, living in a hostel and sharing a dormitory with eight girls.

“It was a big house and we had some great fun. We were paid a shilling an hour and worked a 38-hour week, but had to pay for board and laundry which left me with about a pound to last all week. I was one of the lucky ones; I had a bike and used to cycle home to Littleover at weekends for a little TLC (tender loving care). I used to love my mother’s Sunday dinners.

“We had a nice group of girls and they were great fun. Two or three of us came from Derby but the rest were from Chesterfield and Sheffield. We were chaperoned by a lady who kept a close eye on us, but we still managed to have fun. We all got on very well together. I never remember any unpleasantness.”

Sharing a dormitory with other girls could be hectic, especially when they were getting ready to go to a local dance.

“If you had a date, there was an awful scramble in the evenings to get ready. We used to go out to dances at the local village hall, though some of the girls had boyfriends who were serving abroad, so they would stay in listening to the radio or reading and were always writing long letters to them.

“I remember there were some Americans based at Foremarke School and we would sometimes dance with them. Once, some officer cadets fetched us in a transporter vehicle so we could get to their dance.”

Later, Marjorie went to work at Tom Titterton’s farm in Western Road, Mickleover, where she became so competent at farming duties he would sometimes go away on holiday and leave her in charge.

“He would ring up to check things were going on all right. I used to milk the cows, work on the land, assist with the calving and, sometimes, went all around the houses along Uttoxeter Road selling milk, which I ladled from a churn.”

She also used to ride the Titterton’s horses to Kirk Langley to the blacksmith to be shod.

“One day, I remember a cheeky lorry driver passing by hooted at me. The horse bolted, leaving me upside down in a ditch. He galloped off and was found two miles away.

“After that, I always led the horses and walked to Kirk Langley. There were no tractors in those days; the horses did all the farm work.”

Marjorie, who worked at the Co-op as a cashier and later worked in the offices of British Gas, married in 1947 and had two daughters and four grandchildren. She was widowed in 1984 and married her present husband, Jack Bennett, in 1993. They share a love of travelling.

She loved the The Land Girls film and, though similar things happened to her as were depicted, she said: “We certainly weren’t as flighty as some of those characters. We lived in very basic facilities and the film made it look very exciting, which it usually wasn’t.”

For a time, Marjorie was posted to north Derbyshire where she remembers working at Chatsworth. One of her lasting memories is of spending a great deal of time with a fork in her hand, walking around the park, prodding and digging out docks.

“But I loved the place and it still is a favourite with me,” she said.

She made many good friends and says she would love to meet up with some of them again. She particularly remembers two local girls, Audrey Stubbs, who was one of triplets from Mickleover, and Jean Irwin. There was another girl called Marjorie, who came from Chesterfield, who was nicknamed Freckles, to avoid confusion.

“They were good times and I made lovely friends. I’d love to get together and chat about the old times.”

The Welcome Home celebration at which Marjorie thanked the people of Littleover on behalf of all the women’s services was held on August 4, 1947, in the grounds of Littleover County School in Gayton Avenue.

“I remember it was a typical, beautiful English summer’s day, just like you used to see in those old black and white wartime films. I felt very honoured to be part of the VIP party and entertained so well.”

The programme for the day included a fancy dress and cycle parade, a carnival procession, Punch and Judy show, open-air variety concert, physical drill display by schoolchildren, film show, an evening concert, comic cricket match, community singing including the singing of Land and Hope and Glory – and it all ended with a Grand Victory Dance.

“It was a lovely day and anyone who was there will never forget it,” said Marjorie.

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