December Cartoon of the Month

Is this cartoon a reference to mean farmers or just demonstrating how land girls were exploited as farm workers? It certainly demonstrates the range of farm work which they might be expected to tackle, from working with horses with carting or ploughing, to driving tractors and operating a range of farm machinery and equipment. Later in the Second World War and immediately afterwards, members of the Women’s Land Army were able to take proficiency tests which were judged by farmers and enabled these experienced young women land workers to demonstrate a range of skills. These certificates might then help them get full-time work on the land after leaving the WLA (rather like today’s NVQs).

Source: ‘Laughs around the Land’ compiled by S. Evelyn Thomas (c.1940s), (p41). Courtesy of Stuart Antrobus