Neilbr Posted 9 December , 2006 Share Posted 9 December , 2006 Dear All - can anyone assist with this query, please? Where might I find out about how someone became a Superintendent of Munitions and if there are any records of who they were, when they served and where? Many thanks Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 18 December , 2006 Share Posted 18 December , 2006 Neil Do you think it was a woman then ? In an earlier existence I worked for the RN Supply and Transport Service (previously the Admiralty). Such a post on the RN side would have been at significant Munitions Depots in the UK and abroad. For instance the main one for Portsmouth Dockyard was at Priddy's Hard at Gosport. The "grand fromage" was called a Superintendenting Armament Supply Officer (SASO).There were specific stores for Munitions at overseas bases also. If it was large base it too had an SASO,if it was a smaller,and maybe not so significant a base then only a lesser rank of ASO. In my time (60s) there were also similar for the Army and RAF. I would think that a similar structure existed in WW1. There would almost certainly have been several very large UK storage areas with a Supt of Munitions at each,and the same in large receiving areas in France and Flanders,this before distribution began to the various Armies. You need to find out where these large areas were in order to answer your own question !! I would guess that there were many more than one person holding this title. Happy hunting ! Best wishes Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnreed Posted 19 December , 2006 Share Posted 19 December , 2006 I have a Staff List of the No 1 and 1A Filling Factory at Barnbow, Nr Leeds Yorkshire. Lady Superintendent and Welfare, again Lady Superintendent and Welfare, Miss Edith Smith, Amatol 'B' & 'C' Factories also at Barnbow. I think that you will find that approx 90% of the workers were women that the Lady Superintendents were employed in the health and welfare of the female workers and were not engaged in the supervision of any of the production processes. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 29 December , 2006 Share Posted 29 December , 2006 Neil I'd go along with John's reply,there were many women stuffing shells,cartridges,fuses etc and their welfare was undertaken by other women. For instance,at Woolwich Arsenal/Royal Ordnance Factory 35%(26,000) of the total workforce of 80,000 were women. I think your question suggests that you think that women were Superintendents of Munitions,which, you may gather, I doubt very much. I think they would have been male and would have been career specialists in the explosives and weaponry fields. Did you know,for instance,that Kitchener's advisors,on his ill-fated journey to Russia on HMS Hampshire, were both such career specialists ? Temp Brigadier General Sir Hay Donaldson KCB was the Chief Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Munitions,having resigned as Chief Superintendent of the Royal Ordnance Factories,and his assistant Temp Lt Colonel Leslie Robertson was the Deputy Director of Production at the Ministry of Munitions,having also some history through the Ordnance ranks. If I have time on my Jan visit to the NA I will try to find out some info from the records and pass it on. Best wishes Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon R Posted 30 December , 2006 Share Posted 30 December , 2006 I have a Staff List of the No 1 and 1A Filling Factory at Barnbow, Nr Leeds Yorkshire. Is this list published? If so, where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christine liava'a Posted 30 December , 2006 Share Posted 30 December , 2006 "I think your question suggests that you think that women were Superintendents of Munitions,which, you may gather, I doubt very much. I think they would have been male and would have been career specialists in the explosives and weaponry fields." "If I have time on my Jan visit to the NA I will try to find out some info from the records and pass it on." ...................... You may find quite a number of Australians among the "expert" staff of munitions factories. A large group of chemists and other trained personnel were sent either directly or transferred from the AIF to help run these factories National Archives of Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Primary description of item 369685 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title Reports on Australian Munitions and War Workers [item consists of 11 parts-main file plus appendices I, II, III, IV, XIV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX and XX (which contains 81 photographs); 0.18m] Barcode 369685 Series number A1952 Series accession number A1952/2 Control symbol 536/1/3605 Contents date range 1920 - 1939 Extent Location Melbourne ........................................ Primary description of item 366007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title Passports for Soldiers Munitions Workers & Dependants Barcode 366007 Series number MP367/1 Series accession number MP367/1/0 Control symbol 502/1/19 Contents date range 1918 - 1920 Extent Location Melbourne ....................................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 31 December , 2006 Share Posted 31 December , 2006 Having done a search on MIC with 'superintendent' entered into keyword, there is only one that comes anywhere near. well theres 3 for the same lady... Ida Beaver (yes really) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...resultcount=140 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=3 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=3 Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilbr Posted 31 December , 2006 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2006 Thanks to all the postings and apologies that I've not been back in touch. The information is of interest - the lady, yes it was a lady, in question was a Phyllis Campbell, wo is listed as a Superintendant of Munitions in 1917, in an Electoral Roll. She has an MA (1903) St Andrews, and as far as I can tell, no science background. However, where she was employed, I do not know. Best wishes and thanks for the information to date! Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 31 December , 2006 Share Posted 31 December , 2006 Can only find one MIC http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilbr Posted 31 December , 2006 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2006 Can only find one MIC http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1 Thanks, Sotonmate - I'd not checked the National Archives for Phyllis - really should have - will follow this up! Best wishes Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpjbrennan Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 As far as I am aware the position of Female Superintendent in a Munitions Factory was essentially concerned with the welfare of the young female employees - ensuring that they were not corrupted by older women &/or male colleagues. It required the sort of qualities found in a hospital Matron, but without specific medical training. They usually wore a nurse-style uniform. In the attached picture of a women's football team the Female Superintendent is probably the lady on the extreme left, her assistant (who may have been a qualified nurse is on the extreme right). The two women at the back wearing badges in their hats look like members of the Women's Police Service, who also helped to enforce discipline in the factories, e.g. carrying out searches of female employees, and dealt with "immorality" away from the workplace. The other lady not in football gear would have been the dignitary who formally kicked-off the game. Hope this is of help Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 18 January , 2007 Share Posted 18 January , 2007 Patrick Thanks for this insight into the world of women Superintendents of Munitions. Your account would tie in with my perceptions of the task that women carried out in the business,and previous posts about Welfare,MICs for nurses go towards suggesting that their duties were probably not in the technical area of what the title suggests. Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilbr Posted 19 January , 2007 Author Share Posted 19 January , 2007 Patrick and Sotonmate - thanks for this. I can see that "Superintendent" would be similar to former Lady Superintendents in Secondary Schools, who looked after health and welfare. All the best Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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