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A day in the life of a munition worker

It was sure bright outside at 5:00 AM when she left home and got on the train.
 
My maternal grandmother's parents and some of her sisters moved to that area in WW1 and my grandmother's sisters worked in that factory, as did their father. When my grandmother was married in 1916 her father's occupation, shown on the marriage certificate, was `munitioner'. Previously the family had run a small shop in Kings Lynn. Kings Lynn suffered a Zeppelin raid in April 1915, so from then on the war would have been personal.
 
Amazing piece of footage, thanks TimG. I can't think of many people who'd have a smile on their face as they clobber the filling of an 8" shell with a huge mallet....I think, being quite pretty, she was possibly the star of the show. She seems to make a few appearances.
Amazing women, absolutely amazing, and all wearing a smile throughout a very hard and dangerous days work.
(And the woman standing the shells up after the stencilling, as if they were made of paper, one after the other. I bet her old man never gave her any grief....)
Thanks girls.
 
They were putting in the topping and then screwing in a former to shape the fuze /exploder cavity. The former is there during the hardening time.
Filling factories are not much different today in those parts where the the mass bombardment HE shell are produced.

In the summer it would be light at 4 - 4.30am in Chillwell.
 
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Excellent footage, I really enjoyed watching this film.

I wonder what the long term effects had on these poor women's health?
 
The ladies that worked with TNT were called 'Canaries' as prolonged exposure to the explosive caused their skin to turn bright yellow and some of them, their hair green or ginger. Apparently, a number gave birth to yellow babies 'Canary babies.' Once removed from exposure their normal colour would return.

TimG
 
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