Munitionettes in Wales

[Daviesh25]

I am trying to research female munitions workers in Wales during the First World War, but am having real trouble finding any sources. The topic is extremely underresearched, and there have been hardly any historical secondary sources written about it (other than a chapter or so here and there). Does anybody have any information (stories/pictures/newspaper cuttings/memories of relatives etc) on any women that worked in munitions factories in Wales during WW1? I would be so grateful!

[Bernard_Lewis]

I don't recall seeing anything significant in my newspaper trawls (South Wales Daily Post - Swansea). But I might have skipped items as they weren't on my theme. Any big companies with a Welsh presence that might have published their own histories? William Hancock had a large brewery in Swansea, for example.

Bernard

[Myrtle]

There are some photographs on the Gathering the Jewels website.

Myrtle

[Julie w]

Hi there are some photo's on the bbc north east wales website

hope there still there

julie

[Jim Strawbridge]

In Kate Adie's book "Corsets to Camouflage: Women and War" there is a photograph of a funeral cortege of a Swansea female munition worker. No name is given and I have often wondered who she was. Any ideas?

[Carmania]

Jim

She might have been one of at least seven munition workers from Swansea who died, three from poisoning and four from accidents.

Aled

[jay dubaya]

Boiler Shop girls from Pembroke Dock

[mpjbrennan]

Swansea National Shell Factory football team - 1918

Patrick

[Jim Strawbridge]

Jim

She might have been one of at least seven munition workers from Swansea who died, three from poisoning and four from accidents.

Aled

I have eight in my research. And a QMAAC. All from Swansea.

[Daviesh25]

Thanks very much for all your comments and photographs. The photo of the boiler shop girls from Pembroke Dockyard is interesting, I've not come across it before...where did you find that, Jay Dubaya?

I have eight in my research. And a QMAAC. All from Swansea.

Jim, the funeral cortege of the Swansea munitions worker may have been Mildred Owen aged 18, or Dorothy Watson aged 19. Are you researching the same topic?

[Jim Strawbridge]

Jim, the funeral cortege of the Swansea munitions worker may have been Mildred Owen aged 18, or Dorothy Watson aged 19. Are you researching the same topic?

I am researching ALL WW1 serving female casualties. Not specifically munition workers or Welsh.

[Daviesh25]

Jim, the funeral cortege of the Swansea munitions worker may have been Mildred Owen aged 18, or Dorothy Watson aged 19. Are you researching the same topic?

I am researching ALL WW1 serving female casualties. Not specifically munition workers or Welsh.

Have you managed to find much of interest regarding munitions workers in Wales?

[Jim Strawbridge]

Have you managed to find much of interest regarding munitions workers in Wales?

In the words of Paul Daniels "Not a lot". As to the photograph in Kate Adie's book I have eight possible as to who the female Swansea munition worker was but I wondered if anyone had specific information.

[Daviesh25]

Just to bring this topic back into the feed, I'm still really struggling to find info on Welsh female munitions workers. If you have access to anything whatsoever related to this topic, please let me know!

[Terry_Reeves]

There are a couple of approaches:

a. consult local archives and see if there are any works magazines which are often very useful for this sought of research.

b. write to the local newspapers and appeal for information; this may bring forward relatives of these workers.

c. have you attempted to compile a list of Welsh munitions establishments which may aid your quest?

TR

[clive_hughes]

Daviesh,

not sure if this will be of help but in the 1920s an attempt was made by Tom Jones to gather information for a history of Wales' involvement in the War, under the auspices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Nothing came of a publication, but some of the research material and articles submitted are held at the University College Wales, Bangor's archive. It's many years since I trawled through this stuff, and my focus was on the "fighting" services, but included was a social document (written longhand, in Welsh) on the Ffestiniog district of Merionethshire, including sections on womens' employment, growth of new factories etc. The reference is Bangor Mss. 4570. Similarly Mss 3192 on Bethesda, Caernarfonshire. Another part is a local history of Pontardawe 1914-18 (Bangor Mss 4562) in case any munitions works were there.

Mss 3170 consisted of short typed notes on Munitions in Wales, including costs, working conditions etc. A communication sent to the Archivist may enlighten you further as to the value of any of the above!

I tried looking in Ivor Nicholson & Lloyd Williams' Wales : Its Part in the War (Hodder & Stoughton, London 1919) but it says little about munitions and even less about womens' work (excepting in agriculture).

There was a Welsh language womens' monthly magazine, Y Gymraes which ran from 1896-1934. I know the UCW Bangor also have a 38-volume set, if this might contain anything of use to you (it might be full of receipes and knitting patterns, for all I know).

Further afield the Imperial War Museum London's Dept. of Printed Books has collections of material on Womens war work, and "Local records" which may include munitions references, eg Local records LR.411 on Tremadoc, Caerns. which I seem to recollect had a munitions works.

LST_164

[clive_hughes]

I remembered that up in the attic I had this old xerox of a Welsh poster asking for Munitionettes. Someone gave it to me many years ago, so provenance uncertain but more than likely a north-west Wales archive.

It was printed for the Caernarfon Labour Exchange. Undated.

LST_164

[Kevin O'Marah]

In a brief history of Gwaith Powdwr Penrhyndeudraeth, the following extract can be found-

'A massive explosion in 1915 (perhaps enemy sabotage) destroyed the facilities, and responsibility for the site was taken over by the Ministry of Munitions before being sold to Cooke's in the 1920s.'

Also the following-

'The site has a long history of explosives production, starting from 1865 with gun cotton, then TNT and a range of safety explosives for the mining industry. With the demise of British coal mining, the business was no longer economically viable and closed in 1995.'

As a native of Penrhyn and have only a limited knowledge of gwaith powdwr during WW1 I will endeavour to find further information. I know that in the early sixties / seventies I can remember a few instances when some of the huts exploded with loss of life, but for us as youngsters It meant that we were unable to go to school at Harlech due to the possible structural defect of the nearby bridge.

Hwyl

Kwvin

[Daviesh25]

Thanks very much for your help! The recruitment poster is great - I have been looking for one for ages and haven't been able to find one!

[Fychan]

We have a May Prosser listed on our war memorial in Govilon, Monmouthshire. We believe a civilian (we presume) women on a war memorial is quite unusual ? It is believed she died as a result of her work with munitions but we can find no evidence of the cause, timing or location. Does anyone have advice on where to locate information please

[Jim Strawbridge]

I have drawn a bit of a blank, too. This is what I have so far :-

Remarks: The name of May Prosser is listed on the Govilon War Memorial. Nothing more is known about her. The only May Prosser that we could find to have died in the war years was May E. Prosser who died in the fourth quarter 1917 in the Winchester registration district. She was aged 59. Registration of her birth or marriage could not be found. We did find the birth registration of two May E. Prossers being May Elizabeth B. Prosser (1885, Gloucester) and May Eleanor Prosser (1900, Camberwell). We note that a May Jane Prosser married either John Millet or Alfred Williams in the second quarter 1902 in the Abergavenny registration district. Govilon is about three miles from Abergavenny. But this would mean that May’s maiden name would have been used on the memorial if it was her.(copyright 2010)

As you are local may I ask two things? Would you please obtain a photograph of her name on the war memorial for me? I have one taken off the web but I do not have any copyright permission. Secondly, I would put money on her being buried locally, too. If you can find her grave, her headstone, if she has one, may include information as to who she was and her parent's names, too. At present there is no indication that she was a munition worker. She could have been VAD or working as an auxiliary in a hospital.

[Fychan]

I have drawn a bit of a blank, too. This is what I have so far :-

Remarks: The name of May Prosser is listed on the Govilon War Memorial. Nothing more is known about her. The only May Prosser that we could find to have died in the war years was May E. Prosser who died in the fourth quarter 1917 in the Winchester registration district. She was aged 59. Registration of her birth or marriage could not be found. We did find the birth registration of two May E. Prossers being May Elizabeth B. Prosser (1885, Gloucester) and May Eleanor Prosser (1900, Camberwell). We note that a May Jane Prosser married either John Millet or Alfred Williams in the second quarter 1902 in the Abergavenny registration district. Govilon is about three miles from Abergavenny. But this would mean that May's maiden name would have been used on the memorial if it was her.(copyright 2010)

As you are local may I ask two things? Would you please obtain a photograph of her name on the war memorial for me? I have one taken off the web but I do not have any copyright permission. Secondly, I would put money on her being buried locally, too. If you can find her grave, her headstone, if she has one, may include information as to who she was and her parent's names, too. At present there is no indication that she was a munition worker. She could have been VAD or working as an auxiliary in a hospital.

[Fychan]

Jim

Thanks for the efforts you've put into tracking May. It seems you have hit the same difficulties we encountered. You will find a photo of the memorial on the Govilon.com website in the history section. Please feel free to lift this if you require - I took it. If this is difficult I can forward the orignal. A similar list of WW1 casualties hangs in Christ Church Govilon. We have a list of most (those still readable) of the Monument Inscriptions for the two Govilon Graveyards - plenty of Prosser graves but none refering to a May or buried around 1914-1920. However a number of different sources have repeated the story that she was a local girl and died from poisoning at a munitions works!. Of course this may be a rumour now developed into fact!.

I will try searching other monument records locally to see if anything comes to light. I guess the other step is local newspapers. I'll keep you all posted.

[Jim Strawbridge]

Jim

Thanks for the efforts you've put into tracking May. It seems you have hit the same difficulties we encountered. You will find a photo of the memorial on the Govilon.com website in the history section. Please feel free to lift this if you require - I took it. If this is difficult I can forward the orignal. A similar list of WW1 casualties hangs in Christ Church Govilon. We have a list of most (those still readable) of the Monument Inscriptions for the two Govilon Graveyards - plenty of Prosser graves but none refering to a May or buried around 1914-1920. However a number of different sources have repeated the story that she was a local girl and died from poisoning at a munitions works!. Of course this may be a rumour now developed into fact!.

I will try searching other monument records locally to see if anything comes to light. I guess the other step is local newspapers. I'll keep you all posted.

Hello Fychan, Thank you for the offer of a photograph of the Govilon memorial. May I have a copy of the original in fullest pixel density as you have, please? Also your name for acknowledgement and copyright purposes? I am at jimstrawbridge AT coinsale.fsnet.co.uk I will keep you informed if more information comes my way. Jim

[Guest beevor]

Daviesh,

Hi there! My name is Tom George and I am about to begin a PhD concerning women workers in munitions factories during the first world war. Just out of interest, what information have you found thus far?

women munitions workers in wales sorry

women munitions workers in wales sorry

women munitions workers in wales sorry