Katharine Ann Furley

General Information

Photo of Katharine eating an apple published in the weekly magazine The Illustrated in 1942.
Photo of Katharine eating an apple, published in the weekly magazine The Illustrated in 1942.

First Name(s): Katharine Ann (Always known as Ann)

Unmarried Surname: Furley

Date of Birth:  27/8/1923

Place of Birth:  Paddington, North London

Date Joined WLA: 1941

Date Left WLA: 1947

WLA Number: 127384

Previous occupation: I attended a big private school and helped with the juniors.

Reasons for joining: Wanted to get involved full time in farming – particularly tractors.

Family’s reactions to joining: Horror, anger, very unhappy. Rest of family in H.M. Forces.

Employment

Pre-work training: Learned tractor skills and servicing.

Type of work undertaken:

  • Tractor driving
  • Ploughing for sowing wheat
  • Combining
  • Servicing tractor
  • Drove T.D.9 International Trac – Tractor.
  • Thanks to my time driving a very big tractor in the Land Army I did demonstrations for Fordson.
Katharine Ann Furley on a tractor.
Ann Furley on a tractor.
Tractor driven by Katharine Ann Furley during the war
Tractor driven by Ann Furley during the war

Work liked most and least: Ploughing very satisfying and harvesting – best. Filling engine each morning with water and T.V.O and greasing bearings – least.

Best and worst memories of time: Very good foreman – Mr Spanton. Cold journeys from and to Levels in the back of truck!

Employed by:

Frank Munjam (1941-1942), Ploughing contractor for 1 year
Kent CWAC on Ash Levels (1942-1946)

County: Kent

Village: S. Stourmouth, Ash Levels Near Wingham

Farm name: Large area between Canterbury, Ramsgate and Sandwich

Land Girls on parade in Kent.
Land Girls on parade in Canterbury, Kent on 28th August 1945.
Princess Marina addressing Kent Land Girls
Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, addressing Kent Land Girls in Canterbury on 28th August 1945.
Princess Marina presenting WLA armbands
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, presenting WLA armbands in Canterbury, Kent on 28th August 1945.
Princess Marina surrounded by Land Girls.
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, surrounded by Land Girls on 28th August 1945.

Accommodation

Lived in hostel; large house at Preston Court, Elmstone. There were 5 of us on The Levels. There were 24 approx Land Girls in the hostel. Other girls in hostel did shorter hours so we hardly saw them.

Further information

Reactions of local people towards WLA / WTC: We did not mix with area residents.

Treatment by farmers or market gardeners: We only saw our foreman.

Reasons for leaving: End of our work on The Levels.

K Furley mentioned in The Land Girl, August 1945, p.14
Katharine Ann Furley mentioned in The Land Girl for receiving a distinction on our tractor proficiency test.
Source: The Land Girl, August 1945, p.14

Life after the war

Worked as a farm machinery sales person. I worked the rest of my life in the agricultural world. I was always involved in farming – fruit growing first in Kent then in Cornwall.

Contributor Information

Name: Ann Amos

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