Land Army girl tells today's youngsters about wartime life

Mrs Wright, from Barnsley, spoke to the nine and 10-year-olds about her time she spent working at Proctor Brothers farm in Gosberton, near Spalding in Lincolnshire.

Just 17 when she joined up in 1943, Mrs Wright moved 90 miles away from her South Yorkshire home to pick potatoes, chop sugar beet and pick fruit for the sum of 1/10s 112d a week.

Katie Jermain, head of education at Whirlow Hall Farm, said: "If they wanted any extra money they would go to a neighbouring farm and pick gooseberries. If it was raining they didn't get paid as there was no work for them to do.

"They also used to do bush beating when they had a shoot, to get the pheasants to fly up into the air so that people could shoot at them."

During yesterday's "living history" session there, Mrs Wright worked with children from Athelstan Primary School in Handsworth, Sheffield.

They dressed up for the day and took part in activities that evacuated children would have done on farms – such as picking potatoes and making rag rugs.