Edith Palmer

Edith Palmer joined the Women's Land Army at 17, leaving her Bristol home to work on farms across Somerset and Gloucestershire. The "Land Girls" replaced the men who had gone to fight, carrying out backbreaking agricultural work that kept Britain fed during the Battle of the Atlantic when U-boats threatened to starve the nation. Palmer operated heavy farm machinery, milked cows at 4am, harvested crops in all weathers, and even managed pest control. By the war's end, the WLA had 80,000 members producing food that was critical to national survival. Unlike other services, Land Girls received no post-war gratuity, campaign medals, or official recognition until 2008 when surviving members received a commemorative badge. Palmer was among those finally honoured at a Bristol ceremony.