It was hard work all day long for Joan Clifford in the Women's Land Army during the Second World War.

Living in digs at Banbury, she did a milk round in the morning, then worked on a farm in the afternoon.

Mrs Clifford, of Sutton Courtenay, wrote in with her memories after seeing the picture of Land Girls marching through Oxford (Memory Lane, January 30).

She was living at home with her parents and working as a secretary for the builders John Laing and Sons in London when war broke out.

She was told in 1942 that she was to be conscripted.

She recalls: "I was accepted into the Land Army and received the first instalment of my uniform two short-sleeved shirts, one green pullover, two pairs of socks, one pair of shoes, one grey bib and brace overall, a hat, a pair of rubber boots and a very long, thin mac which came down to my ankles.

"We had to give up most of our clothing coupons, but always had to supply all our own underclothes.

"I had the rest of my uniform during the next six months, including a greatcoat and a pair of breeches."

She was sent to Sparsholt Training Farm, near Winchester, for four weeks for intensive training in dairy and general farmwork.

Training, board and lodging were free, but out of her personal allowance of 10 shillings a week, she had to pay National Health and Unemployment Insurance contributions.

"We were up at 5am and allowed a cup of cold milk before milking. We were taught how to machine and hand milk most of the milking was under cover in the cowshed, but I had to hand milk one cow in an open pen and it was very cold and frosty.

"We had to clean the cowshed with some of the largest and heaviest buckets and brooms I have ever used."

Mrs Clifford, whose maiden name was Norman, remembers one morning when it was her turn to fetch the cows from the field.

"In the dark, I could just see one which would not come to my call, so I went up to find out what was wrong.

"I felt so stupid I had been calling a bush! I never lived that down."

More of Mrs Clifford's memories soon.