The narration of how millions of women from ally nations get together the industrial labor military group during World War II are well - documented , but the breadth of their assistant goes far beyond fill factory caper . Industries across the board faced depleted manpower , including forestry , which was undoubtedly important during wartime .
To heed the gap , England ’s Ministry of Supply ( Home Grown Timber Department ) founded the Women ’s Timber Corps in 1942 , and for a few age that followed , so - called “ Lumberjills ” hold to the woods and to sawmills to keep up with increased lumber demands .
The Women ’s Timber Service had actually been set up during WWI , but this fresh group was a building block of the Women ’s Land Army along with The Land Girls , the better - make love wartime civilian establishment of distaff agricultural workers .
Scotland formed its own Women ’s Timber Corps just a calendar month after England ’s . Scots adult female were enroll from age 17 , though some terminate up joining at ages as young as14 . The workplace of felling , operating sawmills , crosscutting , measuring logs , loading timber , and drive tractors was difficult labor movement , especially for immature women with no experience at all in the field of operation . The Women ’s Timber Corps managed to keep the industriousness aloft with its roughly5000 members(some estimates say it was closer to8000 ) and assure valuable lumber supplies throughout the war .
The unit wasdisbanded in August 1946 , and each member was give her uniform back along with a letter from Queen Elizabeth , the patron of the organization .
Despite that personal recognition upon windup of their divine service , the members of the Women ’s Timber Corps did n’t incur much attention from the public after the war was over . It was n’t until 2007 when a life sizing bronze carving was erected in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in Scotland that the women of the WTC received a right and lasting memorial . The statue was commissioned by the Forestry Commission and design by artist Malcolm Robertson .
Forestry Commission Scotland
