“God speed the plough and the women who drive it.”
Our 2025/6 programme of talks was brought to a memorable close on Monday 29th June with a fascinating talk by Helen Frost about the Women’s Land Army during the first World War. Bringing with her a range of supporting documentation as well as a full-sized mannequin showing the land army uniform – which scandalised many at the time – in an interactive presentation we learned about its origins in 1915/16 with the militaristic Forestry and Lumber section.
By this point in the war, timber was desperately needed not just for pit props in mines, but to support the construction of trenches and light railways along the lines in France.
The WLA itself followed in February 1917 in the context of huge food shortages caused by the poor harvest of 1916, a need to get land in full and productive production as well as significant losses by the merchant navy, over 1500 ships attacked lead to the loss of some 2.25 million tons of food. At its worst, the country had just 4 days of sugar supplies and 2 months of wheat and flour, as we relied on imports for 80% of food production. Starvation was a very real fear and, in some cases, a matter of fact.
Women were encouraged to enrol from all walks of life but especially the middle and upper levels of society, for an initial period of 6 months. Training was given and in many ways this war time necessity opened a huge range of experiences for women, involving them in everything from felling trees, operating machinery, farming and livestock management.
However, there was resistance from families who, in some cases did not want their girls to go, and from the farmers and communities across the country where the volunteers were allocated. The conditions in which many worked were harsh in both summer and winter, and access to horses and machinery often limited making it both physically and mentally exhausting. The pay was also minimal.
There is no doubt that the 300 – 400 000 women who came forward made a significant impact to the war effort, yet unbelievably after the war the WLA was denied its post victory rally in 1919 on the grounds of cost. WLA volunteers were also denied permission to participate in the march past the cenotaph as part of Remembrance Day events.
Whilst some received recognition for their efforts, for the most part this vital project was allowed to quietly fade from memory after the women were demobilised in September 1919. Some women took their honed skills to develop new lives abroad through the Assisted Emigration programme to countries as far apart as Canada and Australia.
Few communities today know much about the role of women on the land in their area. If you have any information about how Welton responded to the crisis between 1917 and 1919 or have a family history you would like to share, please do get in touch!
Your village needs you! Heritage Open Day: 12th September 2026
Welton History Group will be putting on an exhibition in the village highlighting some of the many fascinating stories we have unearthed about numerous Welton residents, their homes and activities in our village over the last 300 years and more! We will also be on hand to explain how we made these discoveries and to answer any questions.
We hope to make the exhibition as visual as possible, and this is where YOU come in!
If you have ANY items, however small, and would be prepared to lend them to us for the day we would be very appreciative. These may be items you dug up in your garden, copies of old documents, pictures, or any other curiosities. If you can help, please contact Karen or myself as soon as possible.
We will ensure that all items are carefully curated and returned, with explanatory details provided to help visitors engage with the diverse history of our village. We have already been very generously supported by several current and previous residents, however we would be grateful for anything you can contribute.
We will also be producing an A4 leaflet to promote the event. If you can help us spread the word further afield by displaying it in your place of work or a public access building you have links to, please contact us via Welton Memories page on Facebook or the Welton History Group website and we will provide you with copies.
If you’re enjoying the Welton History Group why not get involved?
The activities of the History Group have broadened considerably over time and it would be great to have more members of the village on the committee to help us steer both ongoing as well as future projects.
If you would like to get involved, please email Suzanne Edwards via weltonhistorygroup@outlook.com.
Launching our speaker programme for 2026/2027
I’m delighted to confirm that all the speakers for next year’s programme have now been confirmed and been booked! The full programme is on the website, however the summary below will help you to fill your calendar ready for next year!
| September 28th 2026: Walking through Daventry’s History – Susan Watkins |
| 26th October 2026: Northamptonshire Remembrance Register post 1945: Guy Voice |
| 30th November 2026: Welton History – A Deeper Dive into some of the more unexpected stories about our village and its people: Suzanne Edwards and Karen O’Mahoney |
| 25th January 2027: White Horse: 21st Century Welton: your history, your voice! |
| 22nd February 2027: Save the Children: then and now – Marilyn Payne |
| 22nd March 2027: An A-Z of food over time – Sharn Matthews |
| 26th April 2027: 20th century Social History through the Eyes of Joyce Grenfell – Jackie Hibbert |
| May outing to 78 Derngate – Northampton: car shares will be available where needed – date to be confirmed in the autumn. Booking essential. |
| 28th June 2027: Trench Humour of the First World War – Stephen Barker |
And finally ……
The Welton History Group will be taking our collective foot off the accelerator over the summer, but do visit the website from time to time, where you will find updated articles and new photos being added.
We wish you a relaxing and enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you all in September.
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