How the lumberjills helped in war effort

They came to Staffordshire – some of them teenagers away from home for the first time – to fell trees in the Second World War. Just as Jack in the nursery rhyme had his Jill, so the lumberjacks of Cannock Forest had their lumberjills.

The lumberjills took over when the lumberjacks were called to fight at the front. Now the search is on to find women who worked in Staffordshire's woods during the 1939-45 conflict. The little-known lumberjills made a crucial contribution, supplying timber for use as pit props.

The timber was also used for aircraft manufacture, and even in bomb-making.

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The Allies' Mosquito bombers were made entirely of wood, while the pits provided the coal that fuelled the British war economy.

At its peak, the Women's Timber Corps (WTC), set up 70 years ago as an off-shoot of the Land Army, had about 8,000 members. Today there are still lumberjills but now machinery does much of the heavy work for both the men and women, now known as rangers, who work in the county's forests.

Jason MacLean, of the Forestry Commission, which has launched the search, said: "Even in wartime the women performing this work could cut down 30 trees using a two-hander cross saw if they became very proficient."

Modern-day ranger Jacqui Blackford, based at Birches Valley in Cannock, does not chop down trees but is involved in introducing schoolchildren to the forest. Her female colleagues are involved in planning, planting, design and management of the forest – and many can use a chainsaw.

The 49-year-old former veterinary nurse says: "We are very much carrying on the tradition of the lumberjills, although the nature of our work has changed."

Anyone who was a lumberjill or had a family member who served in a Forestry Commission woodland during the Second World War is asked to call 01623 821457 or email louise.fleetwood@forestry.gsi.gov.uk