| Original caption: “Nazi planes and British fighters are watched without fear by the children of English hop-pickers. The ditch is dug in the fields so workers can pick right up to the last minute. Punned dodging pickers: ‘Life’s one hop after another.’” Tradition has it that the 1st English hop garden was created near Canterbury in 1520, as Kent was the earliest centre for hop culture due to its suitable soil, established enclosed field system and good supply of wood for the poles and charcoal for drying. Kent farmers could afford the high initial capital outlay as they were among the most prosperous of the time. Between the wars, East Londoners regarded the picking season as a holiday with pay as they got to exchange their cramped town life for a month’s rural freedom and whole families were known to visit the same Kent hop yards for several generations. This photo appeared in the September 23, 1940, issue of LIFE Magazine. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0307.jpg |
| Image Size | 756.57 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2300 x 2905 |
| Photographer | John Topham |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 1, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Kent |
| Country | United Kingdom |
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| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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