American Toby Jug Museum 

Women's Land Army character jug designed by Caroline Dadd and modeled by Zoe (Valerie) Annand, produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 2004 limited edition of 250. The Women’s Land Army (WLA) worked alongside the Home Guard and the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, performing equally vital tasks. Taking over agricultural jobs of men who had enlisted in the regular army, the women helped provide Britain with food at a time when U-boats were destroying many merchant ships bringing supplies to Britain from America. The Land Army had first been established during World War I and once war broke out again was quickly re-formed under Lady Gertrude Denman. First asking for volunteers and later using conscriptions, the WLA had over 80,000 members by 1944. These women did all the jobs that were required to make a farm function normally—threshing, plowing, tractor driving, reclaiming land, drainage, etc. Though called an “army,” it was a civilian organization. Women were recruited by the farmers themselves and could be dismissed. The functional day-to-day uniform of a WLA worker consisted of brown corduroy or whipcord breeches, brown brogues, a green V-necked pullover, a fawn-colored shirt and a brown cowboy-style hat. The WLA continued in existence during rationing after the war until 1950, when it was disbanded. A wheelbarrow of apples, bale of hay and pitchfork form the handle of the jug.