Kathleen Halicki (née Wilson)
General Information
First Name(s): Kathleen
Unmarried Surname: Wilson
Married Surname: Halicki
Date of Birth: 15.4.1925
Place of Birth: Manchester
Date joined WLA: 1942
Date left: 1947
Previous occupation: Worked in a fish and chip shop
Reasons for joining: Not sure, but both her parents had died before 1942, she was unmarried and had no ties/responsibilities. She always had a strong work ethic and would have wanted to “do her bit” so the Land Army would have been a natural choice.
Family’s reaction to joining: Unaware of this, other than we think her sister tried it out and was allergic to soil so had to leave.
Treatment by farmers: We believe she got on well with the farmer(s) she worked with.
Reasons for leaving: Marriage/end of war.
Employment
Employed by: Private farmer in Denbighshire.
Type of work undertaken: General farm work, but we know she had a reputation for pest control.
Work liked most and least: Milking the cows (and feeding the farm kittens with the milk).
Any accidents: No.
Best and worst memories of time: We think she enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie with the other Land Girls, as well as the social life.
Opportunities to meet others: She lived in the Queensbridge Hostel in Overton-on-Dee. We believe there would have been 50 other Land Girls there, so she would have met and known many of them.
Accommodation
Lived at: Queensbridge Hostel, Overton-on-Dee, Wrexham
Life after the war
Did they return back to their pre-war occupation? Not sure – she married shortly after the war and started a family, so was likely a housewife/mother for a while.
What was their occupation after the war? As above, housewife/mother but later on she had a number of jobs including:
- working on the family fruit/veg stall in the local market
- a machinist (sewing)
- and for a long time, working at the McVities factory in Manchester.
Did they stay on the land? No.
How did work in the WLA affect their life? Kathleen grew in inner city Manchester amongst factories, mines and other heavy industries. It was a challenging environment, by modern standards. We know that her mother contracted and sadly tied of tuberculosis before the war. Kathleen was also showing symptoms of this ahead of her joining the Land Army. We believe that moving to rural Wales, cleaner air and the physical work she undertook significantly improved her health.
She also met her husband who had fought for the Polish Army and been injured in the Italian campaign. He was recovering in the local hospital/resettlement camps and they met at a dance in the Wrexham area. They married at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Wrexham in 1947 and had three boys, one of whom became my husband.
She kept in touch with people in the area during her life and enjoyed sharing stories to us about her experiences e.g. catching rats, driving a motorbike around the country lanes (and narrowly avoiding the Americans who all drove on the wrong side) and attending the local dances.
Any outstanding events or achievements in WLA or in later life? It’s not overstating to say that Kathleen was an inspirational figure for me and her family. She lost her husband when she was still quite young and brought her up three boys on her own (albeit with a great close family around them). She always enjoyed a laugh and a joke, despite life’s many adversities. She was kind and caring to everyone around her and we miss her.
Have her experiences been recorded before? She was interviewed at the local Age Concern centre she used to attend and shared some stories about her time in the WLA. I have tried to find this online but it was nearly 20 years ago so not had much luck!
Contributor Information
Name: Karen Halicki
Relationship to Land Girl: Daughter-in-law
