Women's work in World War One

This amazing outfit has been on display at the Tourist Information Centre in Bakewell as part of the Old House Museum's World War One commemoration. Made of blue cotton, it once belonged to Hilda Hemsoll. Her name tape is sewn into the hat's lining. She was a member of the Women's National Land Service Corps. There is a tunic, a hat and two pairs of breeches, as well as an armband identifying her with Avery Hill College. The WNLSC was formed as an off shoot of the Women's Farm and Garden Union. It was renamed as the Women's Land Army in 1916. Over 9,000 women worked on the land as members of this initiative during the First World war, taking on the role of men who had gone to fight, in spite of some agricultural roles being exempt from conscription. The design of the smocked tunic and the breeches echoes traditional smocked workwear for agricultural labourers, harking back to the mid-nineteenth century.You can even see the sweat stains in this example of farmer's smock from the Museum's collection! The broad brimmed hat would have protected her from the wind and the rain as well as providing shade from the sun.

We don't have any more information about Hilda Hemsoll at the Museum, but she has left us a wonderful glimpse into one working woman's life in the First World War.