Tom Wood
Arecent enquiry on these pages about where to find British Women’s Land Army records from World War II has been kindly answered by genealogist Stuart A Raymond. Unfortunately, Stuart tells us that the original service records have not survived, but it’s not all bad news; The National Archives (TNA) at Kew has microfiche copies of alphabetical index cards from 1939 to 1945 that contain some basic information about the women’s service. Found in class MAF 421, they may show name, address, date of birth, Women’s Land Army number and occasionally present occupation, where transferred to and when demobilised. Although they are not online, interested readers can learn more in this brief TNA guide to the records at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/womens-land-army
At its peak in 1943, more than 80,000 women worked as ‘land girls’, so there’s a good chance some of your female ancestors may be among them.