A visitor to a memorial dedicated to the women who kept Britain’s food supply flowing throughout the Second World War has complained that it is surrounded by “unkempt weeds”.
Lhanbryde-based farmer, Margaret Anderson, blasted the state of a memorial to the Land Girls at Clochan, near Buckie.
Her visit coincided with the recent 80th anniversary of the Women’s Land Army being reformed before the outbreak of hostilities in 1939.
Mrs Anderson she was “black affronted” after making a visit with some friends to the striking memorial, which was opened by the Duke of Rothesay in 2012.
She said the “unmown, unkempt mess of weeds” which she found at the site was in complete contrast to her experiences when she travelled to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings last month.
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Mrs Anderson said: “We visited the Land Girl memorial, and took some friends with us who had not visited it before.
“We were very disappointed to find that the grounds surrounding the memorial were looking very neglected. It was a mess and I was black affronted at the state of it.
“The siting of a memorial to the huge contribution the Land Girls made to the war effort was a long time coming, and it is shameful that, only seven years later, no one seems to be taking any interest it maintaining it.
“When I was in France, the cemeteries were perfectly preserved and I don’t think a weed would have dared to pop its head up.
“That was showing the boys proper respect and it is just common decency when you think of all the sacrifices they made.”
Prince Charles unveiled the Clochan memorial in October, 2012, to recognise the thousands of young women who left their homes to work on farms and feed the nation during the Second World War.
At one stage, there were 80,000 women involved with the effort and they helped produce up to 70% of the country’s food supplies in 1944.
Moray Council said it did not have responsibility for the upkeep of the memorial and added: “We don’t maintain this land – it is owned by the Crown Estate.”
The Crown Estate was unavailable for comment.
