Brighton woman's tattoo in honour of her Land Army granny

Ellen Donovan, 32, from Brighton, uncovered Gwendoline Payne's past through Ancestry.co.uk and wanted to pay tribute to her.

As well as getting a tattoo she was inspired to begin planting vegetables in an allotment in the city.

Gwendoline Florence Payne, from Islington, was recruited at just 21 as a farmworker in West Kent in 1941. 

Ellen's tattoo (Image: Ellen Donovan)

Ellen said: “As a young girl who grew up in Islington, it’s amazing to think that Nan was recruited at only 21 to live and work on farms in the Kent countryside – she’d never seen that much greenery or some of the food and vegetables before, but she was playing such a vital part in supplying food for the country during the war. 

“She had to get equipped and comfortable pretty quickly, sitting on and working on a tractor during her time. There’s a fantastic photo we have of her in her dungarees on the tractor.” 

Qwen working in the Land's Army (Image: Ellen Donovan)

Ellen says her grandmother told her about her fond memories of her time in the countryside which stayed with her throughout her life.

She said: “Like many, my grandfather didn’t speak much about the war, but my nan shared some information with myself and my cousin about her time as a Land Girl. 

“She always recounted fond memories of Harry and Elsie who ran the farm. Her children - my mum, aunt and uncle -  referred to them as uncle and auntie and visited the farm over the years.

 “My nan’s experiences as a Land Girl definitely formed who she was and stuck with her throughout her life. She had a passion for nurturing and growing plants and her own food and vegetables – which is where I get my love from too. 

“I got a tattoo in 2014 as a tribute to her – I took  wartime recruitment images, one of Rosie the Riveter, a land girl advert and an image of the medal awarded to the land girls to my tattooist, who worked up an amazing design."

Women's Land Army Index Cards (Image: Ellen Donovan)

Last week, Ancestry published a new online collection of over 90,000 digitised Women’s Land Army cards from The National Archives. 

The UK Women's Land Army Index Cards contain records of employment for those who served in the Women’s Land Army from 1939 to 1945.

Ellen’s grandmother features in the collection and has meant Ellen has learned even more about her family’s history. 

“Unfortunately, the medal my nan was awarded for her service in the Women’s Land Army has been misplaced but it’s amazing to be able to find her index card on Ancestry,” Ellen said.

For more information about the collection and to explore the records, sign up for a free trial, visit www.ancestry.co.uk.