Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 2. p 449

WOMEN'€™S VISIT TO RURAL FRANCE.

BERKSHIRE'€™S LEAD IN THE FARM SERVICE CAMPAIGN.

[photo, portrait] Miss GLADYS POTT, hon. treasurer of the Berkshire Committee, who was entrusted with the organisation of the visit.

[photo, portrait] Mrs. REEVES (formerly Miss Chillingworth), in the uniform of the Berks Women'€™s Volunteer Corps).

[photo, portrait] Mrs. N. STOCKS, a member of the Reading Women's Liberal Association.

[photo, portrait] Professor AMEDEE V. SALMON, University College, Reading, who was guide to the party.

[photo, portrait] Mrs. BOYCE, of Windlesham, was a member of the mission. The wife of a smallholder and village fishmonger, she Is an experienced speaker.

The necessity for further assistance from the women of England towards supplementing the shortage of labour in agriculture has been strongly urged upon all County Committees lately. The Board of Agriculture has issued fresh appeals for recruits, especially from amongst educated women and girls for short trainings in milking and other forms of light farm work, and it is likely that in the near future a campaign of meetings in the larger town centres of England and Wales will be undertaken i order to stimulate the interest of women towards a greater appreciation of their duties in this respect. Amongst other associations at work in the matter is the "Women'd National Land Service Corps", whose office is at 50, Upper Baker Street, London, and with which the Berkshire Committee on Women and Farm Labour is in close co-operation. This Corps is arranging a series of recruiting meetings in the northern counties, at which it is hoped some, if not all, of the women who accompanied the Women's Mission to France in February last will speak. The experience gained during the French tour has proved of greatest use to those speakers, and their services, which have been already employed by the Board of Trade and Agriculture and by various county committees, are likely to be in considerable request. the photographs taken during the expedition have been made into lantern slides, which were exhibited by these speakers not only in Berkshire but in many other centres during the past six months. Replicas of these slides are now in course of preparation by the Board of Trade officials and are expected t o figure conspicuously at meetings arranged by these authorities. With the calls for more men for the Army renewed efforts are required from women, and Berkshire may well congratulate itself on having foreseen many months ago the necessity for preparation and for having been the means of providing many platforms with most excellent photographs showing the industry and heroism displayed by our French sisters. A representative of the Corps accompanied the Women's Mission to France at the invitation of the Berkshire Committee, and Miss Pott, who arranged and accompanied the French tour, is closely associated with the organisation of the Women's Land Service Corps, and is co-operating with her colleagues on its executive committee in arranging the recruiting campaign. At a recent meeting held in Lord Salisbury's London house the President of the Board of Agriculture paid a warm tribute to the work of the Corps and recommended it to the support of the public.