11/11/2009 5:00:00 AM
Middle Point woman served the war effort in the WLA
| |
|
 |
Photo submitted
Gladys Young in her Women’s Land Army uniform in 1941. |
 |
 |
Photo submitted
A postcard asking women to join the WLA. |
|
BY KIRK DOUGAL
Times Bulletin Editor
kdougal@timesbulletin.com
Generally speaking in Van Wert, when we think of the people who served during World War II to help bring about an Allied victory, we think of the young American men who put their lives on the line to fight in the European and Pacific theaters.
But not all of Van Wert's veterans are men.
And not all of them are American.
Gladys Young of Middle Point was born and raised in a suburb of Manchester, England and was just becoming an adult at the time when Great Britain's hostilities with Germany were breaking loose. Although London took the brunt of the Blitz when it was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 57 straight days at one point, Manchester also saw a lot of bombing activity because of its industrial complexes that produced everything from machinery to war weapons.
Young told the story about how at the time her mother had gone down to the store and bought heavy, black material that served as curtains in their home. That was what was needed to draw across the windows every night so that no light from the ground would let German pilots and bombardiers know when they were over the city. She also remembers eating dinner after dinner in the basement of their home as the air sirens shrieked their warning cries into the night. At one point she became so tired of it - and somewhat immune to the danger - she told her mother to leave he alone and just let her sleep in her bed when the bombing started.
"At least then I would be warm," Young said.
But the war times in England called for unique measures to keep the country moving forward. As were many young ladies, Young was conscripted into the Women's Land Army. The WLA had actually begun during World War I when the Board of Agriculture realized that England had a serious problem. With all the young, able-bodied men going off to war, no one was left to work the fields and orchards at a time when it still took a lot of strong backs and hands to bring in a crop. In World War II, Great Britain's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries was in charge of the group that eventually numbered 80,000 members working the fields to bring in food for the army and civilian populations. The women who worked in the WLA were known as Land Girls.
Young's first day on a farm in the WLA was on December 7, a day that means as much to Americans as it does to her. Although she had grown up and lived in a big city her entire life, she grew to love the country life she discovered while working in the WLA and said she soon realized she never wanted to live in a city again. She laughs about it now, saying that she had never even seen a live cow up close before she was sent to the farms. Many of the farmers did not like the Land Girls and made it rough on them. Just like the Rosie the Riveters in the United States, the women were filling roles traditionally occupied by men and that led to some resentment.
But it was also a growing signal of the changing role of women in the world at the time. Growing up in a city, Young had spent her life riding buses or trams. In the WLA, however, she was taught how to drive a truck, a skill that very few women in cities had.
"Back then you couldn't just have anyone show you how to drive," she said. "It had to be a certified teacher."
The tests were hard, too. In the rolling hills where she was taught to drive, even a slight slippage on a grade or one stall constituted a failing grade. She passed on her second attempt and was given the added responsibility of driving four other Land Girls out to various farms each day. But all they had was a small panel van with a regulator on the motor. On really steep hills, the van would bog down and she would need to drive on to the top while the other girls got out and walked up behind her.
She also tells the story about a time when a group of Royal Air Force pilots were stationed not far from where they were working. One night on the way home she saw a small group of them walking down the road and she pulled over to offer them a ride. That day, she and the other girls had been working on a pig farm.
"Those pilots opened up the back door of the van and we stunk," Young said with a laugh. "They just said, 'no, thanks' and we went on."
Young married an American soldier and moved to the United States after the war was over. Her mother, who had hated the idea of her working in the WLA, did not like that plan at all but eventually came to visit her in the U.S.
The work the Land Girls performed during the war was vital to England. Without them, men would have needed to be diverted from the front lines or crops would have rotted in the fields because they could not have been harvested. Young's father had served in World War I, even spending some time in a German POW camp, and her brother and sisters also served during World War II, revealing how important it was to her family that they do their part in the war. As it was, rationing of everything from gasoline on down to fruit was the only way for the country to survive during that time. The British government finally recognized the Land Girls for their vital efforts during the war in July of 2008 when more than 30,000 surviving members of the WLA were awarded commemorative medals that looked like the badges that had been sewn on their uniforms.
Young displays her medal with deserved pride.
|
Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Article comment by:
Cheryl Stemen
This remarkable lady is my mother. I just want to say how proud I am of her and her strength. She has endured a lot in her life. She is a very strong woman. I am proud to be her daughter. She has taught me so much and I adore her. Way to go mom! Cheryl
Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Article comment by:
Lorraine K. Woodyar
Mom,
I am so very proud of you and I love you lots! Happy Veterans Day!
Love,
Lori
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
