Farmerettes story turned into documentary

Bonnie Sitter couldn’t be more proud. The Exeter native has turned her years of research into a forgotten piece of Second World War history into a book, a calendar, a stage play, and now, a documentary.

“We Lend a Hand” is the largely untold story of how 20,000 young women, aged 16 to 18, saved Ontario’s farming industry by heading to the fields, while young men headed to the front lines of the Second World War.

They were called, “Farmerettes,” and they tilled the soil and picked crops across southwestern Ontario from 1941 to 1952, keeping not only Ontarians fed, but Canadian soldiers overseas fed as well.

“We Lend a Hand” is having screenings across our region this summer, starting in London, on June 6.

You can find a screening near you, and learn more about the Farmerette’s documentary, by visiting their website.