Info needed for Land Army novel

Shirley Mann · Sep 16, 2020

Hello I'm writing my 3rd war novel and this one is going to be about a Land Army girl. I need to introduce her to a tractor in 1943 and teach her how to drive it. Can someone talk me through it? What would she see when she first gets in the bucket seat? Would someone showing her how to drive it, be able to stand on a metal plate to the side? Any help for authenticity gratefully accepted. My husband's a farmer's son but he tells me he just got in and drove one!

Larry EC-OH · Sep 16, 2020

Would she be driving the John Deere with the machine guns?

Bill(Wis) · Sep 16, 2020

Are you picky about what brand of tractor you're going to write about? I ask this because some tractors are easier to drive than
others. A neighbor taught his 8 year old daughter to drive a John Deere (sometimes a B, sometimes an A) pulling a hay wagon between
rows of hay bales in the field as several farmers loaded the bales on the wagon. Those 2 cylinder John Deeres were relatively easy
to drive because they had hand operated clutches versus almost every other brand which used a foot clutch. They also had a flat
platform to stand on which provided a safe place for an "instructor" plus the driver. Ours also all had fenders. One day little
Nancy called to her father saying that the handle (clutch lever) was too hot to touch. We didn't realize it, but she'd been
slipping the clutch because it was a little too hard for her to push the clutch lever all the way forward to lock it in position.
The clutch got so hot from all the slipping that the heat finally made it all the way up the clutch lever. We had a good laugh
about that.

Majorman · Sep 16, 2020

When you say Land Army do you mean the British Women who worked on the farms in the 1940's to
1950's? If so there is an archive in the Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse Museum at Gressenhall
near East Dereham in Norfolk, England. The Norfolk Museum Service at County Hall, Norwich in
Norfolk would be the place to contact.

The tractors they would have driven in this area were mainly Fordson Model "N"'s although in the
Lincolnshire area on vegetable crops they may have driven John Deere's.

J. J. Wright and Sons of East Dereham were one of the only companies, other than the
manufacturer, to set up a Government training school to train women and men to drive, maintain
and repair the tractors.

Bob N.Y. · Sep 16, 2020

Most tractors that were around in 1943 were mounted from the rear and had a pan seat. It is more likely that the trainer would be behind the trainee.

Crazy Horse · Sep 16, 2020

Shirley .... I did some Googling ..... a link below to one of your other two books ..... that is really interesting that you are visiting us. Hopefully, someone can help you out ....
Book by Shirley Mann .... click here .....

Absent Minded Farmer · Sep 16, 2020

Hello Shirley,
do a Google search for "Farmall Tractorette". There's quite a bit of good information out there, especially from the Wisconsin Historical Society &
Octane Press. Yes, I'm sure the other manufacturers had similar programs, just not familiar with them. I'll be checking back on this post to see what
others say about what their favorite tractor brand had to offer.

Good luck on your book!

Mike

cdmn · Sep 16, 2020

Twentytwo years ago there was a very poignant movie called, "Land Girls"
I bought my own copy. There was also a TV series that is available on DVD.
Stuart Gibbard shows a few photos in his Ford book, "The Ford Tractor Story, 1917-64",
starting on Pg 60. They seem to be wearing semi-military coats and gloves. Some with military
style head covering, and some bare-headed. Some wear white shirts with neck-ties.

Land Girl on Case

old-9 · Sep 16, 2020

What Country is the story taking place? Would make a difference on what tractor and type of crops planted. Good luck with your book. joe

showcrop · Sep 16, 2020

2X what Bob NY said. It would have been a pan seat, not a bucket seat, and it would have been mounted over the rear with no plate on the side to stand on. The instructor would stand with one foot on the drawbar and the other on the axle. Feel free to post back with any more specific questions.

warbaby · Sep 16, 2020

I think your best bet would be to contact a local tractor club or collector and go and test drive a machine from that era for yourself. You simply cant pick up
the detailed minutia from someone elses narrative like you could from actually sitting in the seat and learning what the various contols do, to say nothing of the
feel, sounds and smells you'll experience!

If your Land Army gal is based in Britain, Scotland or Ireland, a Fordson "N" would have been the most common tractor that was used in the programme, but a David
Brown VAK1 Cropmaster is a close second. Not only that, it is-(IMHO)- the quintessential British agricultural machine of that era .

warbaby · Sep 16, 2020

Oh, and the upholstered seat on a Cropmaster was wide enough to sit two abreast, no need to stand on the rear hitch or sit on "side-saddle" a fender when teaching a novice to drive!

(were talking WWII era derrieres here, getting two modern behinds in a Cropmaster seat might be a bit of a squeeze...)

MJ in the UK · Sep 17, 2020

Hi Shirley, I live in the village of Collingham just north of Newark on Trent and
during the war we had a Land Army hostel here in the village. Most of the girls came
from the Nottingham area and a lot of them married farmers sons and lived in the
area but I do not know if any of them are still alive.The sons and daughters of the
girls have saved a lot of infomation about them and some of them do reactions of
thrashing days etc as we are all keen members of vintage tractor clubs. I am 77
years old and have been collecting old tractors since 1967 so I now alot of the
local farmers and their families. Michael Hart.

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

(quoted from post at 08:17:31 09/16/20) Are you picky about what brand of tractor you're going to write about? I ask this because some tractors are easier to drive than
others. A neighbor taught his 8 year old daughter to drive a John Deere (sometimes a B, sometimes an A) pulling a hay wagon between
rows of hay bales in the field as several farmers loaded the bales on the wagon. Those 2 cylinder John Deeres were relatively easy
to drive because they had hand operated clutches versus almost every other brand which used a foot clutch. They also had a flat
platform to stand on which provided a safe place for an "instructor" plus the driver. Ours also all had fenders. One day little
Nancy called to her father saying that the handle (clutch lever) was too hot to touch. We didn't realize it, but she'd been
slipping the clutch because it was a little too hard for her to push the clutch lever all the way forward to lock it in position.
The clutch got so hot from all the slipping that the heat finally made it all the way up the clutch lever. We had a good laugh
about that.

Reply: this is exactly the sort of detail I need, thank you

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Ha ha! Now that might make a good angle!

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Great contact idea, thank you

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Thank you so much for responding

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Ah I've been tracked down, thank you for responding, it's really important to me to get the details right.

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Thank you so much, it's really kind of you to respond.

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Yes, I did know about that series and may take another look at it. I did interview several Land Army 'girls' and I have another one's diaries and they're a great help too. Thank you for responding.

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Thank you Joe, no I haven't committed to which crop yet but it's a good point so thank you.

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Thanks so much, very much appreciated

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

I think I'm going to make it a Fordson N- sounds like my best bet. Thanks

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Ah yes, the wonderfully healthy wartime diet! Thanks a lot

Shirley Mann · Sep 17, 2020

Thank you Michael, I have interviewed some Land Army girls, fortunately a few years ago as they are all getting on or no longer with us, but I appreciate your comments. Thank you

Bob N.Y. · Sep 17, 2020

Good choice.

Info needed for Land Army novel

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