Joanna Foat, author of Lumberjills Britain’s Forgotten Army, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund an audio version of her book, giving the heroes of the Women’s Timber Corps of WW2 a voice.

Lumberjills worked here on the Isle of Wight during the Second World War, including Ann Moffat, who was among those Joanna interviewed.

The fundraising campaign marks five years since the publication of her history book.

Foat first heard of the Lumberjills in 2010 when she was working for the Forestry Commission, discovering the effort of thousands of women who worked tirelessly in forests tree felling by hand to support the war effort.  

Like many others she had never heard of these women, and the work they did so decided to something about it.  

She travelled the country meeting 60 women who served in the Women’s Timber Corps in the Second World War to record their stories for posterity.  

Discover their incredible true stories, and find the Kickstarter here: kickstarter.com/projects/thelumberjills/inspired-by-true-stories

“Many of the women told me how upset they were that their contribution to the war effort had been forgotten and was never properly recognised. I wanted to tell their amazing stories and give them the voice they deserved," said Foat. 

Joanna Foat is a public speaker, author, researcher and environmentalist.