An article in The Guardian assesses the vital and oft-overlooked role played by women during the First World War, particularly on the home front.
It focuses on the rapidly expanding munitions production industry, and how it provided women a key role in the war effort – one that was often dangerous.
Author Bob Holman writes: “The number of female workers in munitions factories nationwide is estimated at up to a million. They were often known as canary girls because their skin would turn yellow if it came into contact with sulphur. Routledge puts the number of deaths from poisoning and explosions at around 300, excluding those who died subsequently of illnesses caught at the factories.”
Click here to read the article in full.
Posted by: Eadaoin Hegarty, Centenary News