The first members of the Women’s Land Army were volunteers; it wasn’t until the last male farmers were called to the front that conscription began, in 1941. Because the male sawyers and fellers who had been reserved to maintain the valuable timber industry were some of the last to be drafted , the lumberjills were not formed until 1942 .

Touting the idea that joining the corps was a chance to take a country vacation, the press cheered the image of the bare-armed and betrousered woodswoman, flourishing in the sunshine. “Perhaps the happy communal life in some of Britain’s loveliest forests adds glamour to the work, or maybe their invariable improvement in health and good looks makes them appreciate woodcraft and fresh air,” mused The Times reporter Muriel Laurence.

This idyllic description, however, overlooked the discomforts of working outdoors during dark winters , fingers lost to squealing circular saws , bronchitis caused by sawdust inhalation , and the women who were killed when a rogue tree fell in the wrong direction .

Lumberjills earned, on average, significantly more than a typical Land Girl. And once they joined the corps, they were prohibited from withdrawing from the vital timber industry . They were not the only workers who couldn’t leave. In addition to the 6,000 lumberjills, the British had thousands of prisoners of war working in timber . At one point, the P.O.W.s received a new order of Wellington boots before the female workers were outfitted.