Blue Flax Flower
Source: Wikipedia
‘Flax growing’ was the growing of a 5 petal light blue flower with a stem of 3-4 feet. This plant was then manufactured into linen (a strong and durable fabric) in the factory, which was key for the production of clothes, during times of shortages. The plant was brought in from farmers, stacked in barns and sent to the factories for threshing. The Land Girls’ role was to pull the plant from the ground, and prepare the plant for the factories.
Three Land Girls harvest flax in a field which had been derelict the previous year. One woman drives the tractor as the two others sit at the rear on the flax-pulling ‘trailer’.
Source: IWM D 9617