County Land Girls not forgotten
Around 100 Land Girls had their own contribution to the war effort during World War Two recognised at a special ceremony in Northampton.
Members of the Women's Land Army (WLA) who either live in Northamptonshire or worked in the county between 1939 and 1945, attended a reception yesterday at Derngate organised by Lord Lieutenant Lady Juliet Townsend.
The reception follows earlier Government steps to pay tribute to the Land Girls, as they were affectionately known, with the issuing of a specially-designed badge of honour this summer.
Lady Juliet said: "We are all absolutely delighted that at this late stage the work they did in the war is being recognised."
Former Land Girl Sylvia Johnson, aged 84, said she was "still a land girl at heart" but felt the recognition alongside servicemen on Remembrance Sunday should remain a one-off.
She said: "It is very nice to be remembered in this way but I don't think it necessarily needs to be done every year now. We all have our own memories."
Although for many the war years were about fighting, for Land Girl Phyllis Cokayne, now aged 82, and Ken Cokayne, aged 83, who both attended yesterday's ceremony, it was about coming together. They got to know each other on a Northamptonshire farm where Mr Cokayne was a labourer and married in 1946.
Mr Cokayne said: "She was based at a hostel which meant she could work at various farms and when my boss needed some extra help I would always recommend Phyllis."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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