The Land Army at Denton.

Young Joyce Durey (pictured left) enlisted as a Land Army girl in 1941. Joyce had been born and bred in Northampton and was now ready at the tender age of 18 to 'do her bit' for the War effort.

Each recruit was issued with a uniform. This consisted of a set of bib and brace dungarees, large army type boots that were extremely heavy (Joyce confessed she used a pair of her own shoes because they were so heavy) very long socks that came up the leg and over the bottom of the ‘just below the knee’ velvet breeches, a shirt, a heavy green jumper, a tie and a hat that Joyce said was worn ‘cowboy style’.

The girls started work at 8am. If you were working locally you had to ‘bike it’. If, as Joyce often did, you worked further afield you were picked up and taken to your place of work. Joyce was often at Turneys of Collingtree at their chicken farm, she also worked on the Castle Ashby estate, Tompkins of Whiston, Frank’s farm at Horton station (Piddington station to be correct) At Beechener’s farm (now the Elms Stud Farm) there was fruit to be picked, the race horses were still there but presumably horse racing meetings had been stopped because of the war. Joyce used to

The facilities at the hostel were quite good. Miss Hewitt was the warden at this time. Cis Hollowell used to be her assistant. The food was cooked in the kitchen by local ladies. Joyce remembers May Bennett and Agnes Gautrey (later to become Timms and then Carter). There was always adequate food, the combined ration books ensured there was enough for catering. The girls would take a pack-up for the day and have a hot meal in the evening.

When Joyce first came to Denton she found the evenings and weekends were a bit boring so she used to hop on a bus and go home. You had to make your own entertainment – cards, games and the occasional dance. You had to be in by 11pm and there were times when help in by window was required (I wonder what kind of entertainment kept them out after 11?)

Joyce met her husband, Harold Knight, whilst working on the land, she married and left in 1945.

In 1945, after Joyce had left, another young lady, Joan Barnes, came to Denton Hostel. Joan had experienced war at first hand – she used to live in London near the arsenal where munitions were made and stored. She had spent many hours in the shelters with her Mother and brother with raids going on above. Joan was evacuated twice – once to Maidstone in Kent and then to Babbacombe in Devon. Thankfully her evacuation hostess was a kind one and although she was separated from her brother Derek in Devon, he went to nearby Torquay, she was with a school-friend which eased the pain of the separation a bit.

The war was almost at an end, this 16 year old had been on a school camp to Maidenhead the previous year and had enjoyed the country life so much she decided to join the Land Army.

There were 24 girls in the hostel, a Miss Irwin was the Warden at this time. The bunk room was large. The bunks were arranged in sets of two, one on top of the other with a partition between the next bunks. This partition was a wardrobe. Joan also recalls the bath with the obligatory few inches of water in the bottom and it was quite chilly in the bathrooms too. Among Joan’s friends were Doreen Bartlett (later to become Hitchcock)  from Middlesex and Sylvia (Maiden name unknown later to become Chaplin) who came from Barrow in Furness. Joan has an amazing memory for all the friends in the photographs, she remembers every one.

Joan, unlike Joyce, loves animals and had taken a course at Banbury in Milking and how to look after calves. For a time Joan did private work at Lowick near Thrapston and was up and out for 6.30am – when she came to Denton the start time was later at 8am. Many of the farms that Joan worked on were the same that Joyce remembered. Robert’s, Frank’s, Lowick’s at Chadstone Lodge, Mr Phipps with his boys Dennis and Ron (where Joan stood on the threshing machine as Joyce had done) Eaton’s farm in Denton Wood. Joan particularly remembered going to Abbott’s Farm at Earls Barton – it was there that she picked brussels sprouts – frosty, ice-cold brussels. The frost fell on to your sleeve, then melted and you ended up with a very wet, very cold sleeve ending. As you can gather this was not for the faint hearted – Joan hated it.

Turney’s chicken farm at Collingtree was also visited by Joan. There were hundreds of tiny newly hatched chicks to be cared for. I could tell by the way Joan spoke that she loved this, but she was very soft hearted – if chicks were not quite up to scratch (forgive the pun) they would have to go – if chicks were male – they would have to go (only females required for egg laying) The chicks were sexed weekly. Now some hard hearted girls could break the chick’s necks without any qualms (Joan demonstrated this by a quick pressing of the thumb) but poor Joan loved those tiny creatures and said that if she saw one with even a poorly eye she would be bathing it to make it better rather than see it ‘put down’.

Double summer time was in place and Joan remembers working until 9 or 10 in the evening. She also took school children potato picking.

As with Joyce, Joan found the meals were plain and basic but adequate and satisfying – meat and two veg, spotted dick, jam roly-poly and the like. Not only did Joyce recall Agnes and May but also Beryl Ingram.

There was a stack fire (cast iron cylindrical stove) in the centre of the room and Joan remembers the local lads (Keith Wright was mentioned here) coming in and eating bread and dripping. For entertainment the girls went to the pub for a drink, and they also had a ‘Dansette’ record player. They read books and magazines.

It was on her return from the pub one evening she was rescued from an over enthusiastic suitor that had pushed her into a bush. Her rescuer was one George Sparrow and from there it’s history. Joan and George have been together ever since. Joan left the Land Army in 1948.

This influx of young ladies that came to the Hostel was to shape the future of Denton and the surrounding villages. Many of the girls married local lads and their children and grandchildren are still living and thriving in our midst.