The Woman's Part: A Record of Munitions WorkYates, L. K.
History
The Woman's Part: A Record of Munitions Work
Yates, L. K.
Great Britain. Army -- Ordnance facilities; Weapons industry -- Employees; World War, 1914-1918 -- Women
Beyond the great high road sweeping on to Scotland, some one- or
two-roomed cottages, a village shop or two, and a few more imposing
residences there was, in June 1915, nothing but bogland in the immediate
neighbourhood of the site of this new factory. The landscape presented a
view of coarse grass and brackish water; beyond that, beach and sea, and a
horizon bounded by rugged mountains, capped in winter by snow. It needed
courage, as well as genius, to undertake the transformation of such a
desolate waste into surroundings which should offer a lure to industrial
workers. But the work has been done in silence, quickly as well as
efficiently, with imagination, as well as thoroughness, and with an eye to
the future destiny of the place.
By July 1915, the first huts were occupied, and by December 1917, when I
was a privileged visitor, there had arisen a thriving busy township and a
village some five miles beyond. Excellent railway communication between
township, village, and factory has been established, many good roads have
been built, there are permanent cottages, churches, a school, shops, a
staff club, an institute, a large entertainment hall, a cinema house, and
a central kitchen, providing cooked meals for all the workers in the
factories, and raw food-stuff for hostels and huts. Little gardens
surround the houses big and small, temporary or permanent, and allotments
are in great request, and there is also provision for outdoor recreation,
such as bowls, tennis, cricket, &c. The permanent brick cottages are built
in blocks of twelve, which are now thrown together to form a hostel. The
construction is so planned that ultimately these cottages can be
re-separated for family use.
There is housing accommodation for over 6,000 women operators, which was
practically all in use. The task of supervising the home conditions of
this army of women falls into the hands of a lady Welfare Superintendent,
who keeps all the complicated machinery of hostels, huts, and lodgings in
running order. The possibilities in the housing of industrial women away
from their own homes have, I believe, never been so clearly demonstrated
as in this town on the marshes. The lady superintendent who has pioneered
this movement is of the opinion that its success is bound up with the fact
that the hostels are limited to the accommodation of from 70 to 100 girls
in each. Other key-notes to the prevailing happiness of the women
residents are, I gathered, that a minimum number of rules are enforced and
that the women are treated as responsible human beings. The elder women
are often housed in bungalows under the care of a housekeeper-cook, and
they greatly enjoy the greater independence and the appeal to their
individuality possible in such surroundings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account