Mary Hood (née Blackburn)

General Information

First Name(s): Mary

Unmarried Surname: Blackburn

Married Surname:  Hood

Date of Birth:   11/11/25

Place of Birth:  London

Date Joined WLA: 1942

Date Left WLA: c.1948

WLA Number: 105208

Previous occupation: Dressmaker

Reasons for joining: To work on a farm with animals.

Family’s reaction to joining: Not very pleased

Best and worst memories of time: I worked with a German Prisoner who after a long time heard his wife had a son. He had left home when she was pregnant and they had lost touch for 2 years.

Reactions of local people towards WLA: Mostly friendly. Some farm workers wives were suspicious.

Treatment by farmers or market gardeners: Very well.

Employment

Pre-work training: Trained on local farm to milk cows (by hand) , learnt to drive a lorry.

Employed by: Private farmer in Herts, Middlesex, and London.

Farming tasks: Drove lorry, worked with farm animals, collected pig swill from streets and hotels

Accommodation

Accommodation: In private billet in Wrotham Park, Edgeware

Life after the war

Stayed on the land after the war

How did work in the WLA effect your life? I always wanted to work on a farm.

Contributor Information

Name: Mary Hood