Land Army girl opens wartime food security exhibition
29th May 2025
Land Army girl Eileen Webster opened the exhibition about wartime farming, with special guests reflecting on food security and the vital importance of farming.
Eileen Webster, who joined the Land Army aged 17 and turns 100 in August, was the guest of honour at the opening of an exhibition about wartime farming in Essex.
She cut the ribbon on 23rd May at ‘Feeding the Nation: Fighting Without Flying’ – the latest exhibition at the Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome, the world’s largest surviving World War One aerodrome.
Eileen commented: “My brothers went in the Royal Marines and the RAF, so I said that I was going to join up too.
“Most of the time it was good – there was 10 of us girls living together during the week and we were good support for each other. We were fed very well, but we worked long hours.
“The worst job was top-and-tailing sugar beet; it was so cold that I couldn’t feel my hands and I was always scared of chopping a finger off! It was exciting to drive a tractor, there weren’t many about.”
Do we value UK farming?
Special guests spoke of the vital importance of farming – and the worrying echoes of wartime today, with the war between Russia and Ukraine, and a heavy reliance on imported food.
Guest curator, historian Stephen Nunn, said: “In this, the 80th anniversary of the ending of World War Two, we reflect on how places like this literally fed the nation.
“In many ways this story of agricultural challenges during 1939 to 1945 has some resonance with 2025.
“Do we really value UK farming as much as we undoubtedly should? Do we buy British, or do we rely too much on imports? And what would the support from America look like today if we had a national food crisis?”
“We’ve come full circle”
Robert McGowan, president of the Essex Agricultural Society, said there are “unsettling echoes” of WW2 today.
“Back in the 1930s, cheap food imports drove an agricultural depression, severely undercutting British farmers. So, when war broke out, the nation was unprepared – UK agriculture simply wasn’t in a fit state to feed its people, and sadly we’ve come full circle.”
He added: “The fear of rationing may feel like something from an old black-and-white film, but the lessons are very much in full colour today.
“We must value our farmers and our food production, or we’ll be digging for more than just victory. This exhibition is not only fascinating, but also deeply relevant to the challenges we face today.”
John Aldridge, curatorial trustee and vice-chairman of trustees at the museum noted that the exhibition is a reminder of how much we rely on our farming industry and how crucial it is in times of war.
Visit the exhibition:
The museum, at Hackman’s Lane, Purleigh CM3 6RN, is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 4pm, with all proceeds funding the ongoing work to preserve and protect Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome and support its battle for survival.
Visit: www.stowmaries.org.uk
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