IN the spring of 1941 Ernest Bevin, Minister for Labour and National Service, declared that "One million wives were wanted for war work".

The Women’s Timber Service had been set up during the First World War, but in April 1942 the Ministry of Supply inaugurated a new venture – the Women’s Timber Corps (WTC), in England, which was a part of the Women’s Land Army.

Girls and women were recruited from the age of 17, however, some were as young as 14. They came from all kinds of backgrounds and all walks of life. Those who needed training were sent to and billeted at training camps and then posted throughout the county to wherever they were needed.

The Lumberjills, as they were affectionately known, replaced the men who had answered the call to war, carrying out the arduous tasks of felling, snedding, loading lorries and trains and sawmilling timber all over England.

The Forestry Commission England (FCE) decided to provide a lasting memorial to the women of the WTC with a commemorative sculpture at Haygate in Dalby Forest, as a site where the members of the WTC used to work.

It also lead to discussions with theatre company Common Ground, a York-based company with a track record in making theatre and performances for non traditional performance spaces.

Their play The Lumberjill tells the stories of the women who worked in Britain’s forestry trade during the Second World War.

Set in a woodland glade, transformed with log seating into a 1940s military campsite, The Lumberjills is a dramatic celebration of the work done by members of the Women’s Timber Corps during the Second World War. The production is supported by the Arts Council England and The Forestry Commission.

The performance site is at the end of Dalby Forest’s Ellerburn Trail, a fully accessible walk. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience live theatre in a breathtaking environment and discover the hidden heritage of Yorkshire’s largest forest.

Tom Cornford, co-director of Common Ground and director of The Lumberjills, said: "We were contacted by the Forestry Commission at Dalby after our ‘audio walk with installations’, Within This Landscape, that told a story of loss and coming-of-age across a walk around the North Yorkshire village of Coxwold.

"There is a wealth of material about the Women’s Timber Corps at Dalby and they wondered if we were interested in turning it into a performance.

"We jumped at the chance and are incredibly excited now to be in the process of making a play with songs for a hidden location, deep in the woods, that tells the story of the Second World War from the perspective of a small group of young women working in an unfamiliar, dangerous and beautiful environment to produce timber."

Performance dates are July 20 to July 31, Wednesday to Sunday, at 2pm and 6pm, at the end of the Ellerburn Trail, Dalby Forest.

For more information, go to cgtheatre.co.uk