Kendal Oral History Group aims to compile a picture of earlier times through the recorded memories of the area’s older residents. Mrs Marjorie Parkin was born in 1923 and interviewed in 1999.

IN APRIL 1940 I joined the Land Army. I told a lie about my age. I think you had to be 18 but I was only 16.

This lady came to interview me and said if I wanted to join that was all right, I could go. I was looking forward to going, I don’t know why, but my mother and father weren’t very keen.

Anyway I got a place at Arnside Tower. I was the first Land Girl down there – of course it wasn’t very long after war had started.

I was the first Land Girl to go into Arnside, so when I got off the bus, the morning I arrived, everybody was looking at me because I had knee britches on and a khaki coat and khaki hat which looked awful. This was the Land Army uniform.

We also had sort of khaki-coloured dungarees and boots and Wellingtons to wear for working.

I got off the bus. They said I would be met. So I stood at the bus stop and after a bit a young lad came down the hill and he said: “Are you for Arnside Tower?” I said: “Yes.”

He said: “Well if you go up that hill my brother’ll meet you,” and away he went. Of course I had my suitcase and I had to walk up this hill – about ten minutes walk – up a steep hill and waited for his brother.

Nobody came… nobody came. After a bit a man came out of the Co-operative shop and he said: “Are you going to Arnside Tower?” I said: “Yes.” “Oh,” he said, “they’ll be coming after a bit, they’re always late.”

An hour later he came with a horse and float. He’d been delivering milk. So that was my first experience as a Land Army Girl. I was even frightened of the horse.

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