'It was hard work and often scary for land army girls'

Joy Burton (81), who grew up in Bognor Regis, but has lived in Australia for 54 years, joined at the age of 17 with her younger sister Mirabel.

Her two cousins were also in the Land Army. The organisation was set up so that women could take over men's farming jobs while they were away at war.

"They were trying for years to get some sort of recognition for people in the Land Army, but we never received anything because we weren't part of the main war effort," Joy said.

"When it started off, there were no men to do the work at all, and it would have meant that Britain would have starved.

"When the badge arrived it came in a little cardboard box. I thought it was a book or something I'd won from a magazine, but inside was this beautiful, beautiful badge.

"I got really quite emotional when I got it. You can really wear it with pride. There was also a letter from Gordon Brown thanking us for our services without which England would have starved, which is a fact."

Joy grew up in Chapel Street and was sent to work in Little Thakeham near Storrington.

She and other girls worked in all weathers, doing all the jobs men would have done, even working large machinery.

"We had no sooner got there than a doodlebug went over and we had to dive for cover under a bed," said Joy.

"It was scary being out in the fields with the flying bombs appearing every now and then.

"We did a variety of work, picking up spuds, cutting lettuce, picking brussel sprouts until your fingers hurt from the ice in winter.

"I decided to change to the threshing machine team to get a bike and an extra five bob a week 'puncture' allowance.

"I cried a lot with home sickness. I was young and had never been away from home before, and Storrington from Bognor Regis felt like the middle of nowhere.

"My mum told me I had to go back or I would go to jail."

Joy moved to Australia in 1954 with her husband Ron, when she was 27, living in New South Wales for 30 years.

The couple now live in a retirement village in Queensland, which looks down onto the Brisbane River.

They have been back to England a few times but consider Australia their home. Joy still has several family members living in Bognor Regis and still writes to a friend from Brighton.

"It was all hard work, and scary at times, but we did have fun as well."

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