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Honour for Belle Isle Land Girl after 63 year wait
These grainy black and white pictures show Belle Isle's Edith Ashton in her prime during the Second World War.
The former land girl was one of thousands of ladies who dug, ploughed and harvested for 50 hours a week while the men fought on the front line.
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But the 82-year-old missed out when 20,000 surviving members of the Women's Land Army and Women's Timber Corps were officially honoured for the first time in 63 years.
Now, thanks to the help of staff at the south Leeds care home where she lives, Edith has finally been given the recognition she deserves.
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The delighted pensioner was presented with a commemorative badge marking her wartime service by current Leeds Lord Mayor, Coun Judith Elliot.
Edith had been working as a seamstress with a Leeds tailor when she first heard about the Land Army.
"I hated working sewing all day and I knew straight away I wanted to join," she said.
"My mother and father weren't happy about it but that didn't stop me. I knew straight away that this was the life for me."
Edith initially went to work on a farm in Kent and moved to another
shortly after.
She spent her time looking after animals, ploughing fields, digging potatoes and harvesting crops, for up to 50 hours a week.
"As there was not enough machinery to go round we often had to use horse drawn ploughs and harvest crops by hand. We just got on with it.
"It was back-breaking work but we all loved it. I have very fond memories of my time on the farm, I didn't miss home one little bit."
Tina Garside, manager of Orchard Care Homes, which runs Nesfield Lodge in Belle Isle where Edith lives, told Middleton Today: "It all came to light when we organised a VE Day party and Edith told us that it reminded her of when she served as a Land Girl. She said it was one of the happiest times of her life but she had never received her medal, so we decided to do something about it."
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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