Octave

I wonder if anyone can give me some suggestions for movies made during the war that dealt with women's labor, apart from the obvious MILLIONS LIKE US and, to a lesser extent, A CANTERBURY TALE and "Listen to Britain"? Both documentaries and fiction films would be of interest.

Many thanks,
Tom

Nick Dando

I would tell you about The Gentle Sex, but I've already told you!

Hello, Tom.

Nick

Octave

Thanks, Nick. An intriguing-sounding suggestion. I'll look into it. I thought I'd give the question a try somewhere where it's a little more on-topic.

Tom

faginsgirl

The drama `Housewife 49` with Victoria wood is about the war time diaries of an everyday woman, but it was made not long ago and the work she ended up doing was voluntary work within the community, so not exactly the same thing, but still interesting.

You could also try `land girls` (1998) but I havent seen it and have heard it didnt get great reviews. Maybe someone else on the forum has seen it?

Sorry these are modern but I dont know the names of many origional woman at war films.

Fagins girl xx

We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

penfold

Land Girls ? Not bad, decent cast, well filmed, and a rare look at an ignored area of the war effort. Apart from ACT and Great Day, they barely warrant a mention in fiction films of the war.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

CaptainWaggett

That's so not true! What about Thora Hird and Elizabeth Allan becoming crack shots in about 30 seconds in Went the Day Well? There's a few documentaries about them too but Ocatave already knows about them!

Steve Crook

Have there been any documentaries about Lumberjills?
Officially, the "Timber Corps", they were like the Women's Land Army but they were sent to work in the forests, chopping trees down

And what about the lady fliers of the Air Transport Auxiliary who used to transport planes from factory to airfield? Often to front line airfields during the Battle of Britain.

And then of course there were the various branches of the armed forces, the ATS, the WRNS, the FANYs (First Aid Nursing Yeomenry). The last was often used as a cover for women who were really working for SOE, either as agents in foreign lands or as radio operators in the UK

Steve

orpheum

Now It Can Be Told is the official version of SOE.Filmed just after the war it features many women agents.

Welcome To Highbury The Home Of Football

Steve Crook

Yes, the "official version" - so fairly much sanitised.
BTW the main female agent shown in that isn't named but is Jacqueline Nearne. She spent about 15 months in occupied France but returned home safely

Steve

Nick Dando

I have a radio documentary by Edi Stark from 2006 on the Lumberjills. It includes a location report from Scotland where an original member of the Timber Corps recalls her life in the services.

And I also have another radio documentary talking about "The Women's War" presented by Bettie Boothroyd.

Nick