ATS shoes

Pair of ATS regulation shoes, brown leather, well marked by the manufacturer PARKER dated 1944, BROAD ARROW and WLA (Women Land Army) marking size 6 1/2, worn but very good general condition.

Borne in 1917 but disbanded after the First World War, the Women's Land Army was reformed in 1939 as an additional source of valuable agricultural labour. 4,500 'Land Girls' had enrolled by the end of 1939, and numbers swelled to over 86,000 by 1943, ensuring that farms could supply the Nation's population during the U-boat blockades and subsequent food shortages. A mobile force, members could be posted to anywhere in the country and were paid by the farmers who employed them ( on average £1 2s 6d per 48 hour week with one week for leave each year).