Land Girl, Freda Joan Bell (1920-2015)
Freda Joan Bell (Joan) GTNL-WJ3 was born on 12th October 1920 in Belper, Derbyshire to Elizabeth Phillips and Walter Bell, a builder. Joan was the youngest of three children.
Her father had served in the Royal Engineers during the First World War.
In 1938, the family moved up to Lancashire and initially Joan worked as a milliner in Liverpool.
However, with the outbreak of war in 1939, she decided to apply to the Women’s Land Army (WLA) to do her bit for her King and country. Her application was successful and she joined the WLA on 3rd February 1940 being sent to work at Silcock’s Edge Farm, Sefton.
Although the work on the farm was somewhat different to that of a young milliner, Joan enjoyed her time there as well as the people she worked for and alongside.
Thomas Silcock, a retired farmer and his wife Edith Rimmer had four sons and one daughter. Their second son, Jim GTNL-BYQ , lived and worked with his father at Edge Farm during the war years. It wasn’t too long before Joan caught Jim’s eye and they started going out together. Not wanting to stand out and appear as though she was being favoured, Joan took it upon herself to do the most unpleasant jobs on the farm!
They were married on 3rd April 1943 at Holy Family Church, Formby and their first home together was at North End Farm, Formby. Joan continued to work on the farm until she was discharged from the Women’s Land Army on 15th November 1943, when she was 7 months pregnant with her first child. Two years later they were blessed with their daughter.
In 1957, Jim, Joan and their two children moved to White House Farm, Morris Lane, Halsall and Jim continued to farm in Halsall until he retired. The couple eventually moved to live at Aughton Cliffs, Narrow Lane, Halsall. Jim died on 29th October 1994 and Joan passed away on 14th May 2015, aged 94. They are buried together in Halsall Church graveyard. Joan and Jim were both well known, well respected and well loved Halsall people.
From July 2008, the government awarded the Women’s Land Army Veteran badge to Land Girls who served their country during WW1 and WW2 to thank them for their ‘unsparing efforts as a loyal and devoted member of the Women’s Land Army’.
