On Her Their Lives Depend

[gem22]

Subtitled 'Munitions Workers in the Great War'.

The book was written originally as a doctoral thesis by an Australian writer at an American university. Don't let that put you off because this is about British munitions workers and not American.

Because the book was written as a thesis originally I find it somewhat lacking in terms of style.

The author takes a variety of topics and discusses them to the exclusion of other subjects.

I would have preferred it if the author had laid the book out along a time frame and discussed changes as they occurred and the effect they had. But that is personal preference and not necessarily the best way to do things.

The subject matter in itself is interesting. The author sets out to show the social, political and moral changes the war caused; and the effect the war had on the changing patterns of womens work.

The book does not go into any detail about manufacturing processes; you will find no answers to questions concerning dud shells. You will learn how important class differences between women are when it comes to self-determination of working class women. Gender differences certainly played a large part in delaying the introduction of women into factories, but class differences ensured that working class women had little chance of rising 'above themselves'.

I would certainly recommend this book to those who went a better, broader, understanding of the world as it was then.

Garth

[Malcolm]

Any ISBN?

Here's to the Canaries.

Aye

Malcolm

[gem22]

ISBN 0-520-08502-7

I hope you don't mean Norwich City (Ugghh!)

Garth

[andigger]

Perhaps this thread should be reclassified into the Women in the Great War section. It would seem like it would be rather valuable- at least from the perspective that there are few other resources on women in manufacturing at this time.

Andy