An Article in
Home & Country - Submitted by
Barbara Ball, NFWI Training Committee
(With acknowledgment to Anne Stamper)
Right at the very beginning of the Women's Institute movement women were needed to start up new WIs. Mrs Madge Watt herself formed the first four WIs in Wales followed closely by Singleton in Surrey (probably) and Wallisdown, Hants. In 1915 alone, twelve WIs were formed and the membership grew to 3,383 WIs by 1925. It must have been exciting and thrilling work in those ten years.
At first, money was provided by the Board of Agriculture and by 1918 NFWI were forming twenty new WIs a week! By then Mrs Watt had five full time and two part time helpers. However, the Board of Agriculture refused the request to fund more field 'organisers' so NFWI decided they would train some volunteers - two from each Federation then existing - to work alongside the paid organisers (VCOs). This training was paid for by the Board of Agriculture, who also provided some money to cover the cost of their work in the Federations. Any existing Federation which had a Propaganda Sub-committee could draw £20.0.0 from Women's War Agriculture Committee for propaganda work, and in addition each VCO could be paid £3.0.0 a month expenses from NFWI. The training of VCOs was done by the staff, initially by Madge Watt but subsequently by Miss Nugent Harris: in 1919 she ran eleven VCO training schools. In May 1921 the first WI Handbook was published.
During the First World War there did seem to be some enthusiasm for uniforms and so all officials were entitled to wear the Land Army uniform. This uniform consisted of a 'brown corduroy coat and skirt with a white or brown silk shirt, a plain brown hat and a brown tie'. It was supplied by Harrods for 68 shillings. However, these uniforms disappeared quite quickly with the passing of war fever and in any case the uniform suggested officialdom.
The first VCOs to be trained were women from wealthy backgrounds, with servants to look after things at home. Some even had cars to enable them to travel around the countryside. Others had to make do with a bicycle. The first training school for VCOs lasted for 15 days which included lectures and visits to local WIs.
What of today's WI Advisers? Certainly more are needed and their main function is still to start up new WIs. The training today consists of shadowing an experienced WI Adviser, being an observer or actually being a member of Organisation Meetings, followed by two weekend courses held on a regional level and then a week's course at Denman College. The work is done in modules to make it more flexible and there are some homework tasks to complete the course and begin 'work' within their Federations they can claim a mileage allowance, Uniform? Not likely! She probably wears cropped pants and kitten heels.