The Women’s Royal Land Army (WLA) played a fundamental role in Britain during World War Two.

The army of girls helped to provide Britain with food at a time when U-boats were destroying many merchant ships bringing supplies to Britain from America.

With so many men called up for the armed services there was a gap in farm workers and the Government called on women to fill this gap.

Their wages were set by the Agricultural Wages Board. There was an agreed maximum working week of 50 hours in the summer and 48 hours in the winter.

Last week we told the story of land girl Muriel Rooney, now 91 years-old, who headed for Holbeach Marsh in The Wash, which would be her new home, working with other girls in the fields from 8-30am until 4pm. Eventually Muriel decided she wanted to be nearer to home and went work in Kirby before heading for a farm at Walker Fold in Bolton where she delivered milk.

“I was asked if I wanted to learn how to milk a cow but I didn’t want to,” she said.

Once the war was over Muriel was able to resume her career making gowns and coats and she married Harry Davies.

They had one daughter, Christine and two grandchildren.

“It is a time I will never forget. It was hard work but very rewarding,” says Muriel, who still keeps herself active doing voluntary work for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The WLA was disbanded in 1950 and had provided 90,000 women to work on the land and kept Britain in food for the duration of the war.

Though Britain had rationing no-one actually starved during this time — surely a testament to the Women’s Land Army.