Agricultural leave back to own farmland

[highland]

Looking for information about men returning to their own land – Highland crofts specifically – for agricultural leave during WW1. There’s more to read about general labour being used than those specifically going home. How common was this? Would they have brought anyone with them? Have found 2 cap badges from non-Scottish regiments whilst metal-detecting grandfather-in-law’s croft and can’t work out how they got there….many thanks.

[kenf48]

If they were on active service overseas it’s unlikely they would be released.  

 

In 1917 84,000 soldiers from the Home Army, 30,000 POWs and 16,000 women in the Land  Army were released to work in agriculture.  The main objective to produce grain and potatoes, any one, or two, of them could have dropped the badges.

 

Ken

 

 

[highland]

Hello - thanks, that fits - looked again, Grandfather's leave was only in 1916, mentions ploughing and home specifically, perhaps before he was posted overseas. Maybe after that it was sourced differently if those on active service didn't get home.

[clive_hughes]

Not the Highlands but a well-known Welsh example: the poet Hedd Wyn (Ellis Humphrey Evans) was conscripted in about January 1917 and trained at the 3rd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers' Litherland Camp, Liverpool.  He was allowed leave for several weeks to work on the family farm near Trawsfynydd, during which he finalised much of the poem which would (posthumously) win the prize at the National Eisteddfod that August.  I have a feeling he did more poetry there than ploughing, from what I've read.  

 

Ken is also correct in that farmers could apply for additional labour at a time of manpower shortage, and it would come from a variety of sources.  There were Agricultural Companies of the Labour Corps after 1917, many of them men who had seen service with other units and been medically downgraded on account of wounds etc. before being transferred for this sort of work.

 

Clive 

[highland]

Thanks, that's interesting –  I will need to look into if, during the war, small crofts were able to apply for labour in the same way as larger farms. There was a lot of WW1- related croftland reform after the war after much unrest, but not sure of how things were for the duration, was all this put aside for labour requirements; crofts are normally subject to different legislation to farms.

Perhaps with the large port at Invergordon near to us, there would have been a source of soldiers in recuperation. (The badges are Canadian 4^th Pioneers Bn - Canadian Forestry Corps near us albeit with their own badge - and Northumberland Fusiliers.)

Grandfather returning for agricultural leave was passed down in family knowledge before I found his records which confirmed this, but nobody mentioned other labour. We've had local history-gathering sessions where the WW2 POWs working on crofts here was brought up, but never anything re WW1. However the question was never specifically asked;  I'll see what I can do next time I see my older crofting neighbours.

Thanks - liked your poet story, I will look him up ...'more poetry than ploughing...' I am currently in danger of 'more typing than lambing' so will have to get back to it before I'm caught out!