FORMER land girls who served in the Second World War have been reunited at a ceremony commemorating their efforts.
More than 30 ladies from Ryedale who were in the Women’s Land Army (WLA) or the Timber Corps received badges of honour and certificates recognising their work during the war.
The special ceremony, held at Ryedale House, in Malton, North Yorkshire, was attended by Major General Murray Naylor, CB MBE DL and Councillor John Raper, Chairman of Ryedale District Council.
Coun Raper said: "It's really important that we give the members of WLA and the Timber Corps the honour they fully deserve."
The WLA took on farming jobs that would have been done by men, including ditch digging, thatching and threshing, while the ‘Lumber Jills’, as they were known, worked in sawmills and felled trees.
Their efforts meant that Britain had enough supplies to last through the war and the continuing years of rationing.
More than 80,000 women served in the WLA and Timber Corp nationwide during the war period, often in dangerous and difficult circumstances.
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