Peggy Davies

My name is Peggy Davies. I was born in Ferryside in 1930. I was one of nine children; we were five girls and four boys. My eldest sister joined the Wrens. My eldest brother joined the Army and my other brother joined the RAF. So, of course, I had to join something, so I joined the Land Army. We had a smallholding at home and I enjoyed helping my father there and that's what made me decide to join the Land Army.

Before I joined, we slept in a cellar next door for about three months because of the bombing, and a place called St Ishmael, just by us, they were bombed.
I came to Lampeter for an interview and then they sent me to Felin-fach. The hostel was up in Bryn Salem, where the council houses are now and a van used to go there and take the girls to different farms every day. I was too young to go to the hostel at Felinfach so they put me on a farm: Lloyd Jack. I caught a train to Felin-fach. It was very emotional leaving my family so young, but I used to write letters in the evening and go home a weekend once a month. But I got used to it.
In the morning, we used to get up about 6.30 and do the milking and go in and have breakfast and then my duties started, feeding the pigs and the chickens. After then, we used to go out on the land, singling the mangels. I was very fond of looking after the pigs, especially when they were having litters of ten to fifteen. And with the horses, we used to go riding at night.

We used to have dungarees for working in and green jumpers and then we had breeches and jacket and a hat and we were all given a bicycle to ride. And then I met my husband. He was a servant in Lloyd Jack and when I got married in 1950, we were having telegrams then, there were no cards. And on my 21st I had a telegram; that's what they used to send in those days.

The Land Army was very important in the War because all the girls were helping with the produce because the men had gone to War. The local people were very kind to us all. Yes, they'd do anything to help us then. And I stayed in the area then. Yes, once we married, I settled down in Felin-fach.

I had a Land Army certificate, signed by Gordon Brown and a badge. That was very nice to get indeed.