Renee Curry.

 

Aged residents of the community recall four ladies from Coxhoe who were in the Women’s Land Army in World War 2. 

One of the four was Renee Curry, now aged 80 living at 49, Landsdowne Road who spent virtually all of her working life working on a farm.

Renee had tuberculosis as a child and was advised to take an outdoor job.  She was trained for the Working Land Army at Staindrop.

While most of the men were involved in active service some of the women worked on farms to help feed the nation.  Renee says “If it hadn’t been for us we’d have had nothing to eat”.

 

Renee recalls assisting the farmer she worked for to dig an air raid shelter in one of the farm hedgerows.  The first tractor she drove was a 1940 “Fordson Model ‘N’ shown on the picture. 

 

For her war effort Renee was gifted an extra 20 coupons per year to purchase clothing, boots and Wellingtons.  She remembers German and Italian prisoners of war working on the farm with her.  Renee worked on the same farm until she was 64 years old.  Her contribution to the war effort was perhaps untypical but essential for the nation’s survival.

 

Jenny Inman.

 

Jenny was 16 years old when the war was declared and was allocated a job at the Munitions Factory at Spennymoor.  The factory produced the shell cases which were transferred to Aycliffe to be filled with explosives.  The workers had to report to duty “no matter what” so vital was their contribution to the war effort.

Jenny is now 81 and lives at Landsdowne Road, Coxhoe.  Despite her advancing years she still retains her sharp sense of humour and recalls the lure of the Italian prisoners of war at Coxhoe Hall.

“They were a pull for all the young lasses” she says.   “We used to walk past the hall and when we were challenged with ‘WHO GOES THERE’ by the guards we would reply ‘IT’S ONLY US’ and then we had to fly in case we were caught fraternising with the soldiers”.

Nylon stockings were scarce at that time so the young ladies used make up on their legs and drew a line using eye pencil for the stocking seam to make them look like stockings.  Jenny’s brothers girlfriend used this technique but she remembers one night when it rained and we can all guess what happened to the make up!

Life wasn’t easy and a little had to go a long way.  They often acquired a few bacon bones from the butchers and supplemented them with vegetables to make broth.

The war years were not easy for Jenny but she recalls many happy memories.