Lumber Jills get war recognition

By 1943 some 80,000 women had signed up

Twenty-four former members of the Women's Land Army from Northern Ireland are to receive a badge recognising their efforts in World War II.

More than 30,000 surviving members of the WLA and Women's Timber Corps will be presented with badges of honour.

The women - who were dubbed Land Girls and Lumber Jills - supplied the nation with food and timber during WWII.

Events are to be held across the United Kingdom to mark the formal recognition of the women's role in the war effort.

Announcing the move last year, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said their service had been "selfless".

"The Women's Land Army and Women's Timber Corps made a vital contribution to this country during the second World War. Supplying the nation with food and timber during the dark days of war was no easy task," he said.

Photojournal: My life as a Land Girl

Those receiving awards in Northern Ireland include seven from County Antrim, one from County Armagh, nine from County Down one from County Fermanagh, four from County Londonderry and two from County Tyrone.

The Women's Land Army was first formed in WWI but then disbanded in 1918. It was re-formed in 1939 and disbanded again in 1950. The Women's Timber Corps was set up in 1942.

Women were called upon to help in agriculture as male workers went to fight in the war, and by the peak year of 1943 some 80,000 were serving.

They worked on farms and estates, milking cows, digging ditches, making hay, sowing seeds and harvesting crops, to help alleviate food shortages.

The Lumber Jills worked in forests to provide timber for the war effort, felling trees, cutting timber and sharpening saws.

With war hampering the transport of food around the world, civilians were also encouraged to "dig for victory" during the war, and arable land increased in area by 63% between 1939 and 1944.