News |War women
One man’s loyal tribute to the women of WWII
A LARKFIELD pensioner has de- voted his retirement to ensuring that the women who worked dur- ing WorldWar II are not forgotten. Stuart Olsson (73), who lives in SoutheyWay, was just a boy when he met the ladies of the Women’s Land Army (WLA), working on his grandfather’s farm in the Vale of Evesham. Although therewere 60,000 young women in the WLA and a further 20,000 in the Women’s Timber Corps (WTC), when the units were disbanded in 1950 no records were kept of those who lost their lives – and no pensions were awarded to their spouses or to those who sur- vived. Mr Olsson (pictured) worked for
the Ministry of Agriculture for 31 years, but never forgot seeing the young women working in the fields to feed their countrymen. Theywere not included in the an-
nual Remembrance Day service until the mid-1990s because the Royal British Legion deemed them not to be part of the fighting forces. Instead, Mr Olsson helped them to
set up their own commemoration service, held each October in Lon- don, which he organised for 16 years until 2012. Hesaid: “These girls undoubtedly
deserved amedal and over the years I tried very hard to get the govern- ment to do something in recognition of their efforts.” Eventually, in 2007, it was agreed
they could receive badges, which were issued to survivors in 2008. Mr Olsson said: “There is no
record of those who lost their lives. Somewere killed by falling timbers, or falling shrapnel, others by farm accidents with agricultural machin- ery. These girls deserve as much recognition as thosewhowere fight- ing in the front line.”
Stuart’s annual act of remembrance
THERE was a hostel for the WLA inWest Malling duringWorldWar II. As it is closer to his home, Mr Olsson lays a wreath there each year in recog- nition of the work by the ladies of the WLA and WTC. He also holds the official WLA flag and has asked the aeronautical mu-
seum at Brenzett if it will extend its display devoted to the WLA so it can accept more memorabilia as members pass away.
downsmail.co.uk Wreath laid at
the Cenotaph THIS year, Mr Olsson got in touch with Buckingham Palace to ask if a wreath could be laid during the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph, as most survivingmem- berswere too old and frail to do so. Viv Johnson, head of ceremoni-
als at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, arranged for Captain Claire Cutts from the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry to do the honours and now Mr Olsson has asked if the organisation will take on the duty for the next 25 years. “I feel I have a duty to ensure
that these girls are not forgotten and continue to be remembered at least until the centenary of the start of WorldWar II in 2039.” Hesaid: “I so respect all the work
that these gallant young ladies did, many of whom joined the WLA or WTCat the age of 17. They had lit- tle knowledge of the hard work they would be involved in, as they kept the country fed and provided the services with timber for the air- craft, ships, D-Day landings and pit props for the coal mines. “I am now 73 but I am prepared
to leave sufficient funds in the hands of a responsible organisa- tion to pay for the wreaths until 2039.”
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