Your Heritage
Chopwell Wood, just outside of Newcastle, was the base for a group from the Women's Timber Corps, nicknamed the Lumber Jills. The girls, often between the ages of 17 and 20, were picked up as early as 4am every morning for a full days' hard labour of felling trees, cutting, splitting and loading logs. The wood was sent to the sawmills and transformed into pit props. The work of these women had previously never been recognised - this project sought to change that and acknowledge their tremendous effort made during the war.
Volunteers helped to collect and catalogue memoirs from at least 20 former Lumber Jills using digital research and recording skills. The project then promoted these stories, providing volunteers with opportunities to develop media and communication skills as part of their career development.
Over 250 school children also got involved by re-enacting A Day in the Life of a Lumber Jill. The project culminated in an exhibition, an information leaflet and a new app to share the project’s findings with the local community and further afield.