Joan Bourner (nee Goldspink)'s War

THE LAND ARMY (1939-1946)
By Joan Bourner (nee Goldspink)

In September 1939 my friend Pam and I joined the Land Army for a two week trial at Sprays Bridge farm in Westfield . During that time, September 3rd, Chamberlain declared war. After our trial period I returned to my job at McIlroys in Hastings and at Christmas my boyfriend and I were engaged.

In January 1940 Pam and I went to Plumpton Agricultural College where we were issued with Land Army uniforms and taught to milk by hand, but very little else as the weather was so bad; the temperature was freezing. We amused ourselves in the blacksmith’s shop making horse shoes from 6inch nails. However, in March Polly, Cynthia, Pam and I were moved to Balmer farm at Falmer. The four of us lived in a cottage. Two of us fetched over one hundred cows from the Sussex Downs for milking at 4 o’clock each morning. It rained and I remember leaving our “wellies” behind in the mud on more than one occasion as we walked. We worked until twelve midday and then the other two girls took over. Whoever stayed back at the cottage did the housework and cooking. We were only at the Falmer farm for a few weeks because the Land Army decided this job was not suitable for girls! So, in April, Pam and I were sent to a farm in Winchelsea.

As Winchelsea’s inhabitants had been evacuated we lived alone in an old golf club house with only sheep to look after. The living conditions were simply dreadful; we even had to pump our own water. Our job was to count the sheep to make sure they had not fallen in the dykes or died from over-eating fresh grass. If we found a dead sheep we had to drag it back to the cottage and when it had rotted we had to pull the wool off, to be taken away. It felt very remote and we felt very scared so we decided to defy the Land Army and find our own jobs, which was how, in May 1940, we began working at Breadsel Farm, Battle Road. We were in charge of 30 cows including milking them and cleaning their sheds. We also helped in cutting kale and hay and, in between, we helped in the fields.

During the Battle of Britain the cowsheds were pelted with bullet cases, and, although this sounds dangerous it was quite exciting watching the planes fighting overhead. In June 1940 my fiancé was reported missing and it was another two months before we knew he was a Prisoner of War.

Two boys, who were friends of the farmer, came to help on the farm, and in November 1942 Pam married one of them, Eddy. At the end of November 1942 the Land Army moved us, Pam to Vinehall and me to Moors Bank, Crowhurst.

The farm was owned by Mr. Carrington, a gentleman farmer but run by a bailiff, Mr Bowley. I slept in the farmer’s house where, blissfully, I had a bathroom to myself. I had my meals with the bailiff, his wife and two sons, Roger and Ray. I was very happy there. In the house I was treated like a daughter, but outside as one of the boys. No concessions for being a girl! There was a herd of 30 cows, a flock of sheep and arable land. We started milking at 5.30 a.m., then bottled some of the milk which I delivered round Crowhurst in a little three wheeled van, before returning home for breakfast. Then, until 3.30p.m. when we milked again, we carried out a variety of farming chores according to the season, including: ploughing and harrowing fields, cutting stakes for fencing, cutting and laying hedges, spreading dung, threshing, making hay and stooking corn. We had no machinery like today’s farmers so at. harvest time we often did not finish work until dark which could be nearly 11p.m. by the clock, owing to the operation of double summer time.

I would take the bailiff and the boys to Battle in the little van for Home Guard drill. I also took it to Vicary’s garage, in Battle, for its service. The van had only one head light with a guard on it; it was lucky there was not much traffic on the road.

We used to walk over the fields to Battle to the pictures and to visit the vets with the dogs. The path used to come out by the old tanning yard. The horses had to be walked to Stars Green to be shod.

On August 30th 1943 the village of Crowhust held a meeting to arrange a rota for fire watching . We were given a tin hat and an arm band. When it was your turn you walked around the area all night looking for incendiary bombs, which were intended to catch fire to such things as the hay stacks.

Inspite of all the hard work I very much enjoyed my days in the Land Army. Gordon, my fiancé came home on April 2nd 1945, and we were married on May 2nd. Gordon had to go back in the Army after seven week’s leave, so I stayed working on the farm until 1946.

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