Lilies on the Land

There are certain part of history which attract a lot of popular attention; Henry VIII and his six wives (greedy chap), Hitler and his fearsome salutes, and of course, men landing, or at least pretending to land, on the moon. You get the picture.

But being an out-of-the-closet History geek, I have always been interested in the lesser known stories. The stories of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. So when I wandered past the Arts Theatre near Covent Garden earlier in the summer and saw a play called 'Lilies on the Land', I knew I had to go.



A few people may be familiar with the story of the Women's Land Army of World War II. With most of the men away fighting in the war, there was a desperate need for people to farm the land, as few imports were possible owing to the German blockades which were intended to starve Britain into submission. And so, women of all ages, from all parts of Britain, took to the fields to keep the country going.

The play followed the stories of 4 Land Girls from all different parts of the UK, in which each character recounted their experiences. They ranged from hilarious reminiscences about city girls being unable to identify the most basic of farm animals (''Is that a coooooooooooooooooow?''), to the emotional recounting of the heartwrenching moment one women discovered her fiance had died in the war.

What made the play even more incredible was the fact that the play was based on hundreds of letters from and interviews with original Land Girls. Knowing that the stories being told had happened to real women, many my age or younger, was deeply humbling.

At the end of the play, I thought it was a little bit odd when one of the actresses began crying, particularly as these are trained actors who have performed this play dozens of times. She then explained the reason for her emotion - present in the audience that day were a number of ladies, most of whom are now in their 80s or 90s, who were the original Land Girls. I then noticed a large number of women wearing scarves, hats or badges bearing the 'Land Girls' insignia.

Outside, many of the women had tears in their eyes. They waited to meet the members of the cast (See below right - taken on my phone and not the best picture I'm afraid!)

I could hear the women exchanging stories, reminiscing about some of the songs such as 'We'll Meet Again' which had been part of the production. It was amazing to think that these women, now wrinkled and slowed down by age, had once been the
people who had kept Britain going through the war.


I didn't quite pluck up the courage to speak to any of the Land Girls; I wouldn't have anything worthwhile to say to them, other than to express my for their service to the country, but I am glad that through productions such as Lilies on the Land, or the film The Land Girls, their contribution will not be forgotten.