On This Day, 15 August 1918

Birmingham Mail

Thursday 15 August 1918

BIRMINGHAM SCHOLARS ON THE LAND

HOW THEY ARE HELPING IN FOOD PRODUCTION.

The boys of King Edward’s Foundation and the Secondary schools of the city have been doing admirable work during the last few years in assisting agriculturists not only in the immediate neighbourhood of Birmingham, but in distant parts of the country, where help was urgently needed. About 240 are now at work in Scotland engaged chiefly in flax pulling, though should occasion require they will give a hand in general harvesting work. They left Birmingham under the care of several masters on Sunday, and have been established at nine camps in various parts of North Britain, where they will remain for three weeks. This, however, by no means exhausts the directions in which scholars locally are helping the cause. Their work is practically continuous the year through. From time to time they have worked on the land digging, hoeing, and planting. Some, though the number this season has been few, have been in the Vale Evesham fruit picking and others have been allocated to general work on farms, where their help was much appreciated during last year’s summer vacation, that the farmers have written asking again for their aid. The request has often been accompanied the express wish that the same boys should sent, and as far as possible this has been carried out. There will be another big migration of Birmingham scholars in the middle of September, when a camp of 100 will be maintained in Lincolnshire for six weeks They will go in two detachments, each of which will serve for three weeks.

As with the boys so with the girl students. Much good work been accomplished the Lady Mayoress’s gangs of girls, who have cultivated vacant plots of land and looked after the gardens which, owing to the fact that the male members of the household are serving with the colours, might otherwise have ran wild. Some girls, too, have given part-time assistance to agriculturists, though because of the fruit shortage the demand for their help has not been so great as was anticipated. Plenty of opportunity will, however, be accorded those willing to give part-time assistance under the scheme for gathering blackberries, attention to which was drawn yesterday. The land girls, those trained to assist farmers whole time, of whom there are about three hundred in Warwickshire, have been fully occupied; indeed, it is pointed out that there is always a demand for this class of girl labour, and recruits are still needed.

The appeals made on behalf of the Government for part-time help from persons willing to devote their holidays for this purpose met with a liberal response, and no difficulty has been experienced in supplying the wants of farmers who have asked for such assistance. It is suggested that those who spare the time might find the opportunity to employ it by calling on farmers in their immediate neighbourhood when the work of harvesting is in full swing and proffering their assistance.