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Sutton Valence, Kent: Fresh Start for War Heroes

Just outside Maidstone is the site of a former farm which was set up to give soldiers injured in World War One the chance of a fresh start when they returned from the front.

The farm provided servicemen with a cottage and a quarter of an acre of land. The farm was also known as The Women’s Scientific Co-Operative Farm for Severely Disabled Soldiers.

Instruction on how to farm the land came from local women. The whole enterprise was kept running by charitable donations and the tireless work of the women involved.

Some of the cottages survive and are still lived in by ex-servicemen thanks to the original charity.

Location: Sutton Valence, Kent ME17 3JA
Image shows one of the Sutton Valence cottages as it stands today
Presented by Jean Griffin

Release date:

Duration:

12 minutes

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