Sadie Hall

	This page:general experience.
	Includes inventory and audio clip.

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Sadie and Nora out and about in the countryside

Sadie Hall (née Greaves) was born in Leeds and was 15 at the outbreak of war. When her school was closed and evacuated to Lincoln, her parents were unhappy about the thought of her leaving home at such a young age and for a while she stayed at home and helped in the family business. In 1942 Sadie enlisted in the Women's Land Army after discussions with her friend Nora, who also joined. They shared many experiences during their time in the Land Army, including various standards of billets and farms to which they were posted. Initially, Sadie contended with a bout of septicaemia, some harsh working conditions and no hot water or bath facilities in one of her billets. Fortunately, after being transferred to Honiton, Sadie and Nora found a good home with Dr and Mrs Carter. Both girls specialised in pest control, travelling to farms by bicycle and later by van. Once a contract had been arranged between a farm and The Devonshire War Agricultural Committee, Sadie and Nora would eliminate the rats or mice by trapping or gassing. They were extremely competent at their job and their success was reported in a local newspaper. The local area was temporary home to many American servicemen, and Sadie attended local dances as well as the cinema, walking and writing her diary. She also has vivid memories of the troops and armour passing through the town during the build-up to D-Day. In December 1945 Sadie left the Land Army and returned home as her mother was ill. She now lives in Scarborough.

Sadie Hall's material was one of the first sets of documentation relating to the Women's Land Army to come into the Centre. On seeing an article about the Centre in the Yorkshire Post which featured Sadie's material, Nora got in touch with the Centre and offered some additional photographs for the archive. We are delighted to preserve material documenting Land Army experience and in particular this friendship between Sadie and Nora which lasted throughout the war and is still strong today. As Sadie herself said in a recent letter to the Centre: "One good thing to come out of the war was all the wonderful friendships which are as strong now as they were during those 4 years. Of course a lot of people's circumstances were quite different - harsh - cruel, and more years, and often overseas. We were the very lucky ones". Despite Sadie and Nora's modesty about their wartime contribution, there is no doubt that their work, often engaged in hard manual labour and sometimes in difficult conditions, was invaluable to the war effort.

Letter on Sadie and Nora's placement. Transcript

Sadie's W.L.A. membership card

The reverse of the membership card: instructions for resignation if circumstances became difficult.

W.L.A. badge and tie

From left to right: Lilian, Mary, Betty, Sadie, Bessie and Nora break for lunch on their way to another farm (1943/44).The photograph was taken by a convoy of American troops who drew up to a sudden halt on seeing the girls on the grass verge!

Sadie's W.L.A. identity card

A Land Army Christmas card

	This page:general experience.
	Includes inventory and audio clip.