Backbone of Britain: Lest We Forget - honouring farming on WW1 Centenary

It is remarkable to reflect on how the country made it through World War I, whether it was those fighting on the front line to the families and women left behind to keep things going.

When it came to agriculture, the Great War presented a significant challenge to the farming industry as it sought to feed the nation, doing so with limited resources and man power.

But it was also a case of splitting families up, with the need for soldiers heftier than the need for men to tend to the land.

Many were conscripted but thousands also signed up and, in some instances, fathers were called on to make tough decisions as to who was to stay at home and farm, and who should join the forces.

Food

More than 170,000 farmers went away to fight in the trenches, leaving a devastating hole to fill to ensure food production and British agriculture continued as effectively as possible.

Given that in 1914 our reliance on imports was substantial, it was vital the Government handed power back to the farmers of Britain, as merchant ships became key German targets and multiple routes were cut off completely.

It prompted some immediate and much welcomed change to how the industry worked, especially when the Corn Production Act was introduced in 1917. Guaranteeing minimum prices for oats and wheat, it encouraged farmers to convert pastures to arable production to increase home production of these foods along with potatoes.

All were the staples of the country’s diet at the time and by 1918, nearly 3.6 million hectares (9m acres) had been planted with grain and potatoes.

It was a daunting task considering how diminished the agricultural workforce was, however in true farming style, the people of rural Britain pulled together stoically to do their utmost for the war effort, despite the absence of loved ones and the uncertainty of the country’s survival.

At the time, Colin Campbell, NFU President in 1916, said: “However much agriculture has been neglected in the past, this is not likely to be so in the future. It is coming to the front and it is being recognised that it is one of the principal industries, if not the principal industry, of the country.”

Change

With more than a third of men away at war, it was a time of upheaval for the country when war was declared.

With such shortages of labour, the essential formation of the Women’s Land Army took place in 1917 and by the end of the war, there were more than 223,000 women working in agriculture.

Paul Reed, a leading military historian, says: “The uptake of those signing up in rural areas was huge and it was a catastrophe for rural Britain at the time of World War I.

“It reflected a time of change throughout Britain and what was known as a male dominated rural workforce became predominantly female.”

But for those deriving from farming and lucky enough to come home, it was the peace and beauty of their countryside homeland which helped to comfort some of them.

“I once interviewed more than 300 former WW1 soldiers from Sussex and for them, coming back to what they’d fought for, to the landscapes of the British countryside, was a coping mechanism,” says Paul.

“It helped to put the war behind them.”

There is an overriding element of pride which shines from the accounts of family members who have been able to retell their ancestors’ defiant tales of war and farming, and there is no doubt that without the solidarity from those working tirelessly on the farms of Britain, our country would have faced starvation.

Now, it is to those who fought not only on the frontline, but from the fields too, that we must thank and honour a century later.