When it is recollected that before the war only elderly women--the grandmothers--were, generally speaking, employed in the dockyards, and those only on such ornamental tasks as flag-making or upholstery for yachts, it is hardly credible that the granddaughters are now working successfully on intricate processes and even at jobs where physical strength is a qualification. 'We can hardly believe our eyes,' said a foreman recently, 'when we see the heavy stuff brought to and from the shops in motor lorries driven by girls. Before the war it was all carted by horses and men. The girls do the job all right though, and the only thing they ever complain about is that their toes get cold.' 'They don't now', said a strapping young woman-driver, overhearing the conversation. 'We've got hot-water tins.' Then, in a low voice, for my ears alone, 'I love my work, it's ever so interesting.' It is this note that one finds above all, amongst the women in the dockyards. The spirit of the sea, the almost forgotten heritage of an island population, has been stirred once more, and the sight of the good ships in harbour thrills the woman-worker, as the man, with a sense of independence, freedom, and love for 'this England, ... this precious stone set in the silver sea'. No wonder that Englishwomen find their work in the dockyards 'ever so interesting'. [Illustration: CUTTING FRAYED-EDGED TAPE] [Illustration: BRAZING TURBINE ROTOR SEGMENT] [Illustration: MOUNTING CARDS FOR DRY COMPASSES] [Illustration: TREADLE POLISHING-MACHINES, FOR SMOOTHING LENSES] CHAPTER V: COMFORT AND SAFETY WELFARE SUPERVISION--PROTECTIVE CLOTHING--REST-ROOMS AND FIRST AID--WOMEN POLICE The problems arising from the sudden employment of thousands of women in the factories have obviously been connected not only with the technical training of the workers and with the adaptation of machinery to their physical strength. Something had to be done, and that without delay, to ensure the comfort and safety in the workshops of these new-comers to industrial life.