1915 was not an easy time anywhere in the UK. Men had volunteered to fight in the war – and they hadn’t got home by Christmas – unless severely injured. The men were not around when it came to agriculture in 1915 – and this was still a time when farming was very labour intensive.
But in Market Lavington, help was at hand for soldiers from the empire were trained on Salisbury Plain. Haymaking was as good a way of keeping fit as any other. And here we see soldiers, taking a quick breather whilst they posed for a photo which is captioned ‘Haymaking on Salisbury Plain – 1915’
Haymaking in 1915
There’s a mix of men, most in unidentified (by us) military uniform but some being local civilians.
Soldiers and civilians are at work
Local lads have walked up the hill to see the work in progress.
Local youngsters look on
This picture has suffered some of the ravages of time, and having been hung in a smoke filled pub and these images are enhanced to give us a better view.
The card was posted from Market Lavington on August 20th 1915.
The card has a Market Lavington post mark
The message suggests that the writer was not much affected by the war.
Nice weather!
We think the sender may have been a nun, based on another card we have sent from Mona Cottage.
There’s no comment on the war – just the weather!
Tags: Agriculture, farming, Military, Salisbury Plain, WW1
Market Lavington Museum 
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