AFTER recent stories in The Gazette, I would like to share my memories. I joined the Women's Land Army in September 1939 at 16, a Liverpool girl, real townie, trained at Hutton Agricultural College.
My first posting was on a farm at Gateacre in Liverpool, a milk retail producer, also arable work as well. I was there for three years, during which time Liverpool was bombed.The farm was hit, incendiary bombs landing on the hay bay destroying all the hay and corn.
We had to let the cattle out of the shippon as it was next to the hay bay. Fumes from the fire tainted the milk, but the customers never complained.
Then I went to a sheep farm on Lord Sefton's estate (as it was then) in Wyresdale, a farm called Marshaw, just before you go through the Trough of Bowland. A wonderful place to be, so peaceful after Liverpool.
It was hard work, but we loved being there. Farmer's wife Mrs Drinkall was a lovely lady. I was also there three years. We used to cycle through the Trough to church at Dunsop Bridge, also to dances at Root Farm in the wool loft. Mrs Parkinson let us stay the night.
Bright and early next morning we were up and on our bikes back to Marshaw. My next farm was down Pilling Lane at Jacksons Farm, owned by Ben Shepherd, mostly arable. There were cows for milk which was collected each day in big milk churns, there was also some poultry, free range of course they were in hen cabins at night but out all day - I was very happy on all three farms and was in the Land Army nine years altogether.
Vera Ormerod
Hackensall Road, Knott End

Don't take the risk with this mast plan
Wyre Council has received prior notification from T Mobile for the erection of a 12.5 metre (40 feet) high telecommunications mast and base unit on land at the corner of Larkholme Parade and Northway Fleetwood.
The council's planning department said it had placed public notices on lamp posts and notified adjacent houses and had not received any comments.
Perhaps people don't realise the potential consequences of having a mast near to them. They also said the mast would not require planning permission as it comes under permitted use.
In The Gazette August 28, headline "Mast down after parent protests" Arnold School in Blackpool had a mast removed from its roof.
The report says studies in European countries suggest a rise in cancer in people who live near a mast. In 2005 Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency, found four such studies to be of concern, but that the health risk was unproven.
Why take the risk? Where else in Fleetwood or Wyre is a mast so close to a densely populated area with a bus stop that children and adults wait at, a post box, telephone box, shops, houses, community centre and a precinct that children play in? The only mast in Fleetwood I know of is next to the coastguard building in an isolated spot.
I urge people on Larkholme to contact their local councillors and write to Wyre Council's Planning Department and object to this, quote planning application number08/00764/tel.
Danny O'NeilL
Fleetwood Action Group

Town with real talent
I hope Simon Cowell watched the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on Monday evening on BBC1.
Gordon Carter in the Marine Band playing saxophone was fantastic, born and bred in Blackpool, we have certainly "got talent".
Peter Elgee
Common Edge Road
Marton

Play a part
to foil youths Regarding the letter 'Areas gone downhill' (The Gazette, August 20), I hope that the person who wrote the letter telephoned the police on the non-emergency number to report the action of the youths.
To ignore the problem will not make it go away, it just condones bad behaviour.
We must all play our part if we want to have a nice town to live in. It is up to residents to inform the police when they see such anti-social behaviour.
Name and address SUPPLIED
A nonsense to study this noise
I read the letter from D. Bracken (The Gazette, August 22) about the impact study on Kiddies Corner, Cleveleys, with disbelief.
Is there really someone employed – I nearly typed "working" – at Wyre Council making the utterly fatuous statements as reported in that letter and the Gazette article: "a formal planning application currently being prepared by the council's director of neighbourhood services, part of which will include conducting a noise impact assessment on the site".
Is he really being paid out of council tax payers' hard-earned?
I looked at the date on the paper: no, it did NOT state April 1!
Tom MacFarlane
Rossall Road
Cleveleys
Champion for vulnerable
Blackpool MP Gordon Marsden has fought a long democratic campaign to have proper
state recognition and proper state benefits for Blackpool's dedicated unpaid carers looking after chronic sick and disabled relatives.
This is a campaign now
finally recognised by the parliamentary work and pensions select committee who recommend the government should provide extra financial help to unpaid carers.
Thousands of carers in Blackpool save taxpayers billions annually by homes caring for loved ones, instead of them being hospitalised and institutionalised.
Mr Marsden is commendably concerned for society's poor and vulnerable, very much a champion of the downtrodden and oppressed.
Robert McDougall
Blackpool