LAND ARMY MEMORIAL SCOTLAND AN OVERVIEW

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1 LAND ARMY MEMORIAL SCOTLAND AN OVERVIEW LAND ARMY MEMORIAL SCOTLAND - AN OVERVIEW

2 The following is a brief overview of the work of the Land Army Memorial Scotland (LAMS) charitable trust, which was established in 2009 with the sole purpose of establishing a permanent monument to the work of the Women s Land Army in Scotland. The paper includes information on the origins of LAMS, its objectives, its work to date and its plans for creation and installation of the monument. This booklet has been produced by Sarah Anderson, Secretary to the LAMS trust, with kind assistance from Andrew Wells of the Crown Estate, Colin Gordon of NFU Scotland and Elaine Edwards of National Museums Scotland. February 2012 Introduction In spring 2012 a monument will be unveiled to commemorate the work of the Women s Land Army in Scotland. A sculpture has been commissioned by the Land Army Memorial Scotland charitable trust; a group made up of volunteers representing a range of Scottish and UK organisations with a rural association. The monument will be located on agricultural land at Clochan, near Fochabers, Moray at a site kindly provided by the Crown Estate. The memorial will take the form of a sculpture, designed by Yorkshire artist, Peter Naylor and will be surrounded by a sympathetically landscaped area. The group has raised approximately 40,000 to fund the project. - If you would like to donate money to the Land Girls Memorial Scotland or if you have any questions about the project, please call Sarah Anderson on or sarah.anderson@nfus.org.uk - Cheques should be made payable to Land Army Memorial Scotland and sent c/o Sarah Anderson to NFU Scotland, Rural Centre, West Mains, Ingliston, Newbridge, EH28 8LT. The Women s Land Army in Scotland Before the outbreak of WWII Britain was importing seventy per cent of its food, around 55m tonnes each year. With the nation s shipping routes under severe threat from its enemies, Britons would have starved if an alternative workforce were not found. The WLA was established in 1917 by the UK Board of Agriculture, which drafted 20,000 women to work on the land. In WWII the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries overtook organisation of the WLA under the honorary leadership of Lady Denman. At its peak there were over 80,000 members of the WLA. It was disbanded in

3 In addition to helping to feed the nation, the Land Girls enabled the country s farms to be kept in good working order during the wars. The lumberjills, whose efforts have already been commemorated at a site at Aberfoyle, produced timber for energy and manufacturing. Following training, WLA members were expected to take part in every aspect of activity on the farm to which they were sent, including milking, lambing, shearing, planting, harvesting and operating all machinery. Their experiences varied; some have reported that despite the very hard work it was the happiest time of their lives, whereas for others it was a lonely experience, dogged by homesickness. Until now, no permanent monument to the Land Girls achievements has been constructed. Many women received a commemorative medal from the UK Government in 2007, but LAMS believes that a public monument and the trust s accompanying educational activities will help to ensure that the WLA s extraordinary story is preserved forever. About LAMS LAMS is a charitable trust, SCO41593 formed in 2009 to establish a permanent monument to the work of the Women s Land Army in Scotland. The group is chaired by former NFUS President, Jim McLaren (whose mother was a land girl) with NFUS staff, Colin Gordon and Sarah Anderson acting as treasurer and secretary, respectively. The following people play an invaluable role on the LAMS committee: Karen Carruth, Lifestyle Editor, the Scottish Farmer Newspaper Christine Cuthbertson, Regional Manager, NFU Scotland Elaine Edwards, Senior Curator, National Museums Scotland Agnes Paton, Agency Development Manager, NFU Mutual Andrew Wells, Head of Countryside Management - Rural Estates, the Crown Estate LAMS has also received a great deal of assistance from land agents and rural surveyors, Smiths Gore in constructing the site at Clochan. Activities to date including engagement and fundraising In 2007 a statue of a member of the Women s Timber Corps, or lumberjill was unveiled at a Forestry Commission site at Aberfoyle. This marvellous statue prompted discussion in a number of quarters about the need to recognise permanently the efforts of the Women s Land Army - of which the Timber Corps was a part - overall. It is only in recent years that there has been a resurgence of interest for the vital work carried out by the women who worked the land in the great wars of 3

4 the twentieth century. Surviving documentation is not as complete as it is for other war efforts and many people feel that the work of the Land Girls has not been recognised sufficiently. A number of people approached Jim McLaren, who was President of NFU Scotland at time, to ask if NFU Scotland would lead the action to see this happen. By and by, the Land Army Memorial trust was formed and the group set to work to determine the trust s charitable characteristics, to find a site, which has been most kindly provided by the Crown Estate, to commission an artist, to raise money to fund the project and, most importantly, to spread the word as widely as possibly of our intentions. LAMS is making the most of a wonderful opportunity to ensure that the work of the land girls lives on. According to the deed which covers LAMS charitable status, LAMS is committed to achieving the following: To commission a permanent memorial to the members of the Scottish Women s Land Army with a comprehensive history and explanation of the significance of the work they undertook; to increase awareness of the role played by the Scottish Women s Land Army through education by involving schools through the Royal Highland Education Trust, involving local historical societies and communities in the area surrounding the preferred site and promoting a mechanism to provide improved information on the WLA in the National Archives of Scotland. Fundraising has taken the form of seeking donations from companies, trusts and private individuals, collecting at major events such as the Royal Highland Show, raffles, the sale of a calendar and spontaneous donations from private individuals following extensive publicity. LAMS has raised approximately 40,000 which should allow the project to be completed, although we are still inviting donations to allow for greater financial leeway in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Artist Peter Naylor In March 2011 the LAMS trust consulted a number of artists and after a selection process, commissioned Peter Naylor to design and build a sculpture to be installed at the site at Clochan. We are keeping the design of the memorial under wraps until the opening, however, Peter s proposed sculpture is as striking and celebratory of the Women s Land Army s efforts as was his memorial for the members of the RAF s 158 squadron, bomber command for which he won the 2010 Marsh 4

5 award for public sculpture (please see picture below). If you would like to donate money to the Land Girls Memorial Scotland or if you have any questions about the project, please call Sarah Anderson on or Cheques should be made payable to Land Army Memorial Scotland and sent c/o Sarah Anderson to NFU Scotland, Rural Centre, West Mains, Ingliston, Newbridge, EH28 8LT. 5