Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn face up to the challenges of the biggest revolution ever seen in the history of the British countryside as they turn Manor Farm back to how it was run in the Second World War. When Britain entered the war, two-thirds of all Britain’s food was imported – and now it was under threat from a Nazi blockade.
To save Britain from starvation, the nation’s farmers were tasked with doubling food production in what Churchill called ‘the frontline of freedom’. This meant ploughing up 6.5 million acres of unused land – a combined area bigger than the whole of Wales. In this first episode, the farmers find themselves in a new location, a new time period and with a new team member. There is a new farmhouse to modernise, strict new rules to abide by and air raid precautions to contend with.
The team begin by reclaiming badlands to grow new crops. Peter works with a blacksmith to design a special ‘mole plough’ to help drain the waterlogged clay fields. Ruth and Alex get to grips with a troublesome wartime tractor – and must plough through the night to get the wheat crop sown in time. On top of farmers’ herculean efforts to double food production, their detailed knowledge of the landscape also made them ideal recruits for one of the war’s most secret organisations – the ‘Auxiliary Units’, a British resistance force trained to use guerrilla tactics against German invasion.
Wartime Farm was produced by the BBC in partnership with The Open University.
Alex and Peter are confronted with vastly reduced supplies of feed for the animals, so attempt a method encouraged by the government: making “silage”. This involves not only finding alternatives sources of feed to store for winter, but also creating a container to store them in. And for this they find out how the Women’s Land Army could be of help.
Along they way, they also discover how racial prejudice reared its ugly head during Land Girl recruitment – only to be overcome by the actions of a local farmer. Ruth goes on a canning drive – gathering fruit to preserve and donate to the war effort – with the local Women’s Institute. Wartime Farm was produced by the BBC in partnership with The Open University.
