Land Girl - Mary Elizabeth Burke/Baldwin (1929-2013)
Mary Elizabeth Burke [G16Z-8G2] was born on 4th September 1929 to Doris Jackson and Lawrence Burke, a salesman for a drapery warehouse. They lived in Anson Street, Eccles in historic Lancashire and her birth was registered at Barton upon Irwell. Eccles being the home of the sweet treat, the Eccles cake!
In 1939 the family were living at 27 Andover Street, Eccles and Mary was only 10 years old.
Land Army after WW2
Mary was one of the land girls who joined the Women’s Land Army after the end of WW2. In May 1945 when victory in Europe had been secured, there were 60,000 land girls working on the land. The government sent Resettlement Officers to the WLA hostels to give talks on careers after the war for women. Nevertheless, in July 1945, the Minister of Agriculture announced the need for the WLA to continue until at least the harvest of 1948. In addition, early release from the WLA was not possible at that time despite the end of the war as it was vital for the harvest to be secured for the benefit of the hungry nation.
By March 1946 however, 30,000 new WLA members were needed because a similar number of war time volunteers were demobilised. In August of that same year 54,000 land girls were working on farms up and down the country. So vital were these women that in February 1947 the Minister of Agriculture sent a letter to every land girl encouraging them to continue working in the WLA. Then, on 26th January 1948, the government announced that the WLA would continue for another 2 or 3 years.
Mary Burke had joined the WLA on 31st January 1947 at the age of 18 years. She moved from Eccles to live in the Halsall WLA Hostel on Summerwood Lane. Thoroughly enjoying her time at the hostel, she would tell the story years later of the girls leaving the hostel windows open for each other so they could stay out ‘after hours’ and climb through the windows on their return!
Mary was posted with farmers Tom and Betty Banks of Cop House Farm, Jacksmere Lane, Scarisbrick and through the farming community, Mary met Ronald Baldwin.
In the 1939 Register for England and Wales we can see the Baldwin family living at Carr Moss Lane, Halsall.
His parents Annie [G26B-MF9] and Harry Baldwin [GP8R-HRQ] lived at 167 Carr Moss Lane. The record marked ‘officially closed’ was Ron Baldwin [G16Z-M28], Mary’s future husband.
A now familiar story unfolded … love ensued between Mary and Ron and they were married on 25th November 1950, the wedding being registered at Ormskirk.
The 1939 Register was still being manually updated by government departments until 1991- as can be seen by the addition of married surnames. Anyone who was less than 100 years old (in 1991) had their record officially closed unless it was known that they were already deceased. Ron was born in 1926. He would have been 65 in 1991 so his record is closed.
Meanwhile, in the autumn of 1950 a final parade of the WLA was organised at Buckingham Palace in front of the Queen, at which she gave a speech in praise of the girls of the Women’s Land Army.
The Women’s Land Army was finally disbanded on 30th November 1950.
Initially Mary and Ron lived with Ron’s parents, moving to their own home at Sumner Avenue, Haskayne later on. Mary continued to work for the Banks family after the WLA was disbanded. The couple had three children together – two boys and a girl and Mary would sometimes take her children to work with her – picking beans and peas in the fields. The children would ‘help’ although to bulk up the baskets and therefore fill them up quicker, they would add the stalks in as well! One scorching, hot summer’s day, they were working away in the fields and Betty Banks or Aunty Betty as the children called her, suggested they leave the pea picking and go and enjoy themselves at the outdoor pool in Southport – no encouragement needed – off they sped before she could change her mind!
Eventually, Mary and Ron moved back into 167 Carr Moss Lane, which is where they lived for the rest of their lives. Mary passed away in 2013 and Ron died in 2023; the family grave is in St. Cuthbert’s churchyard, Halsall.
Thank you to Sue Derbyshire, Mary’s daughter, for the photographs and anecdotes.
Since the writing of this article, Sue has sadly passed away so I would like to dedicate this piece of writing not only to Mary, but also to her daughter, Sue, a lovely friend, rest in peace.
