A memorial to commemorate the work undertaken by thousands of women during WWII is planned to be sited in Moray. The Land Army Memorial Scotland (LAMS) charitable trust has identified a site, kindly donated by The Crown Estate, on their Fochabers estate, on which to establish the memorial.
LAMS, which is made up of representatives from NFU Scotland, The Crown Estate, National Museums Scotland, The Scottish Farmer, NFU Mutual and Mona McLeod, a former ‘Land Girl’ herself, has raised nearly £40,000 towards the project and are in the closing stages of choosing a sculptor to design the memorial.
At its height, the Women’s Land Army (WLA) saw around 8,000 young women working across Scotland to provide food and timber to keep the country going as many men went off to fight. Members of the WLA were awarded a medal recognising their efforts in 2006, but no permanent memorial has been established in their honour, often leading to them being called the ‘forgotten army’.
- For more information on the Land Army Memorial Scotland, details on how to donate or fundraising ideas, please call Sarah Anderson on 0131 472 4108 or email sarah.anderson@nfus.org.uk.
NFU Scotland’s former President, Jim McLaren said:
"It is a most unusual situation for me to be issuing requests for charitable funding but I sincerely hope that people in Moray consider this to be a particularly worthy cause. Since we embarked on this project, we have received numerous letters from former WLA members, their friends and family whose ardent support for the memorial is quite overwhelming."
Clare Russell Lord-Lieutenant of Banffshire said:
"I am so delighted that after so many years the achievements of the Women's Land Army are going to be recognised for the fantastic job they did to support the War effort in Scotland. Their work was impressive and this memorial will keep them in our hearts for ever."
Andrew Wells, Head of Countryside Management at The Crown Estate said:
"The Crown Estate was delighted to able to offer a site for this important memorial, and we look forward to working with other partners in the LAMS alliance to help see this project to fruition."
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Contact Sarah Anderson on 0131 472 4108