Jacket, New Zealand Woman's Land Service
Production date
1943
Current rights
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Object detail
Description
Mid brown twill jacket. Single breasted with four button front, epaulettes on shoulders and "Land Service" embroidered flash at top of sleeves. This jacket is part of the uniform worn by volunteers of the New Zealand Land Army Service, during World War Two. As men were called to war the workforce for essential industries grew smaller. By 1942 the situation on the land was desperate. In response, the Women’s Land Army provided labour to farms throughout the country.
This Land Army jacket belonged to Phyllis Waddell (nee Gane). Phyllis worked as a Land Girl on her father’s Ōmokoroa farm during WW2. She really disliked the uniform and would not have worn it if her father had not insisted. “I detested the colour and certainly didn’t what to wear it into town!” After the war Phyllis married and the skirt was soon cut up to make shorts for her two small sons. “I didn’t have any idea that one day the uniform might be important, I still don’t know why I kept the jacket.”
This Land Army jacket belonged to Phyllis Waddell (nee Gane). Phyllis worked as a Land Girl on her father’s Ōmokoroa farm during WW2. She really disliked the uniform and would not have worn it if her father had not insisted. “I detested the colour and certainly didn’t what to wear it into town!” After the war Phyllis married and the skirt was soon cut up to make shorts for her two small sons. “I didn’t have any idea that one day the uniform might be important, I still don’t know why I kept the jacket.”
Production date
1943
Production place
New Zealand
Measurements
700mm (length), 420mm (width)
Credit line
Gifted by Phyllis Waddell
Accession number
0129/93
Current rights