Canary Girls Memorial Project

[Canary Girls Memorial Project]

Dear Reader,

I am the Chair of Canary Girls Memorial Project. We are a small group who are attempting to have a memorial in the National Memorial Arboretum to honour the work of the female munitions workers in WW1 and WW2. Among the 400 memorials in the NMA practically everyone who was involved in these two world wide conflicts has a memorial  but not these women. Recognition of these women's sacrifice is long over due. Please take a look at our website at Canary-Girls.com and sign our petition.

I am also writing a book on women's social history, this includes the Canary girls, as they became known, the factories, the conditions they worked in and the injures they suffered. 

I would like to ask permission of certain people who have shared memories of relatives and photos of women who had worked in munitions factories on this site so I can put their names in my book.

I give presentations about the Canary Girls, and that's how we raise funds. There is so much information out there about these women and yet they have still not received equality of esteem with other war workers. 

Many families will not know that in 2013 the British Legion gave permission for munitions workers and relatives to walk in the November Remembrance parade that passes the Cenotaph in London to honour their family members who were munitions workers. To do this you have to be a member of the BL, [£20 a year] and you must ask permission in April through your local BL branch so that you can be included.  This because of the tight security around the event. 

Each year many of us take part in acts of Remembrance; we stand in silence to honour the soldiers who left their youth and their bodies on the battle fields. But we do not think of those who supplied the armaments to allow them to defend themselves against the enemy in time of war. I think it is time we did

Yours in peace Sandra Gold-Wood

[michaeldr]

Pleased to have signed & made a small donation
Good luck with the project Sandra, and please keep us updated on progress.

[FROGSMILE]

Fantastic project and long overdue I agree.  I have signed the petition and wish you well with your appeal.  Do please keep us updated Sandra.  I hope that you are able to use to advantage the recently announced precedent that the government is supporting a new monument specifically recognising the service of Muslim troops, to seek support for your own project. 

Edited 10 March by FROGSMILE

[Jim Strawbridge]

I have been recording the names of serving female casualties of WW1 for over 30 years and know of a number of munition workers who died of poisoning and explosion that were not officially recorded. In some official records munition workers has a broader meaning that just those that worked in munition factories. For instance, crane operators and those who worked in other factories providing items for the war effort was also included. It seems to me that "canary girls" relate just to those working in munition factories who were involved with the deadly chemicals with which the shells were filled. Will your proposed memorial just relate to them or be a broader base?