Audrey Manning was part of the women's Land Army, working on farms in Kent to feed the country during the war time.

Before she became a Land Girl, Mrs Manning worked in an office but volunteered for the job because she had always wanted to work on a farm.

She said: "I worked in an office for two years, but I got a bit fed up with it. I didn't know anything about farming, but the fresh air appealed to me and they were four-and-a-half happy years."

In 1942, Mrs Manning underwent training for four weeks near Staplehurst.

She said: "It was really hard work with lots of bruises and we felt very stiff every morning. There were two other girls there and I thought 'this is a great life'.

"When the month's training was up I went to a market garden farm at Offham where we packed lettuces, 24 to a box. The men cut them, there were some men still on the farm who hadn't passed their medical, but we packed them 12 up and 12 down. We also pulled radishes, washed them and tidied them up."

Thinking back to the mid 40s, she said: "It was a fun life. I remember that someone told us that if you wash your face in dew you would have a lovely complexion, so my friend and I walked up the road and buried our face in the dew."

Despite rations, Mrs Manning said they never had time to eat the strawberries they picked from six in the morning because they were on piecework rates.

She added: "Our landlady was a very good cook and she said that if we wanted to give up sugar in our tea, she would make some cakes with the sugar. It was awful at first not having sugar in tea, but we had cake for our elevenses."

During the harvest they worked until 10pm, cutting the corn into sheaves before picking them up and putting them to dry. At the end of the day they were treated to bread and cheese and homemade cider.

Now officially recognised by Downing Street and presented with a badge, Mrs Manning said: "I am glad we have got recognition at last.

"My years in the Land Army were very happy years. When I went home at weekends, I felt really proud walking in my home town of Rochester, in my uniform. It was a great honour to have served in the WLA."