My Granny - A WW1 worker

[Lachlan07]

My Granny Montgomery was a worker in WW1. I have held her triangular brass badge and have seen her wear it in a photo. From memory, in the photo she wore a plain cloth protective mob-cap and what looked like a ladies cloth work coat, possibly wrap-around style, with the triangular war-work badge on it. Both are in a drab-coloured cloth.

She lived in Musselburgh, Midlothian and possibly had young kids at that time. Her hubby was away in the army and brother was about to get himself killed at Arras in 1917.

I have always been curious as to her line of work and where she would have worked. I would be grateful if anyone could tell me of any factories producing for the war-effort in and around Musselburgh in WW1 which would have women so dressed ? I suspect Musselburgh's famous wireworks factory (which later made the cables for the Forth Road Bridge), Brunton, must have been involved in the war-effort, but I don't know if they had women like my granny there.

Can anyone shed some light on where she may have worked and what sort of things they may have produced ?

[truthergw]

Hi Lachlan. As part of the measures to relieve the shell and munitions shortage, National Shell Factories were set up all over the UK. There was also a chain of filling factories where shells were filled with explosive. She may well have been employed in one of these and the wireworks sounds like the sort of place the local Shell Factory would be established. You will find some details in the local library and or town archives. Here on the Forum, there was a lengthy thread on the Dundee set-up which you can find with a search.

[Lachlan07]

Thanks Tom, I'll have a butchers