Voices of World War II - A Lumberjill's Tale

Lumberjills at Welwyn Garden City

To mark VE Day, while under the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 lockdown, Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies have created a number of audio recordings, illustrating various aspects of the county’s contribution to the war and its response to victory in 1945.

Click on the play button below the image 

This extract was taken from The Women’s Timber Corps, Hertfordshire Countryside, Dec 1993, by Della Gardner.

In order to meet the need for fuel and timber, an offshoot of the Women’s Land Army – the Timber Corps – or Lumberjills, as they were also known, was formed.  Della Gardner joined in 1943 and was first sent to Forestry College in the Forest of Dean.

After working initially working with a gang of men in Codicote, felling trees to supply Welsh mines with timber props, she recalls the gruelling and dangerous work.  In 1944 she moved to Hertford to take charge of a group of about 30 Timber Corps girls.  The exercise was to fell about 200 acres of hornbeam coppice wood and convert it into charcoal.

Read by Janice and Calum Brooker.