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To The Housewives Of Britain


RichardB

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Please finish travelling by 4 o'clock

... and leave the buses, trams and trains free forwar workers.

I understand that during the war some women were trained up and employed as bus, tram and train drivers so that men in these jobs could be released for military service.

These women did an excellent job of keeping the transport network running during difficult times.

They even trained the Queen up (Princess Elizabeth at the time) on how to chgange the wheel on a lorry :o

There is a picture of her doing this work somewhere.

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They even trained the Queen up (Princess Elizabeth at the time) on how to chgange the wheel on a lorry :o

There is a picture of her doing this work somewhere.

I knew it wouldn't be hard to find.

Princess Elizabeth doing her bit "For her dad and country" lol in the Auxillary Territorial Service (ATS) during the war.

Changing a wheel.

In ATS uniform

..and in colour, - not bad for 1945.

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1941

Three women trolley bus drivers, the first in the country, started work at Rotherham.

A Steam Club friend of mine had a female relative who was trained to drive trams in wartime Sheffield.

He relates the tale of how she pulled up at the Pinstone Street stop one night (outside the Peace Gardens) with her tram in "blackout", - small interior lights, windows painted out to prevent stray light and small headlights fitted with deflectors.

While she was stopped at Pinstone Street she had to change the destination board to her new destination, but even the illumination in this was subject to blackout.

Having changed the destination board to "Ecclesall Road" she noticed a man at the tram stop who was looking rather dwildered and as though he was trying to read the new destination.

Feeling helpful she opened one of the narrow tilt windows and shouted out to him, -

"Ecclesall Road love!" (meaning of course, I am going to Ecclesall Road)

Quick as a flash this guy replies

"You need to go straight on down the Moor and when you get to the bottom take 4th exit off the roundabout!" lol

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Guest bus man

I dont think there were any female tram or bus drivers in sheffield , however there were several conductors.

Indeed i know of one who met her future husband on the tram she ws conducting on

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I dont think there were any female tram or bus drivers in sheffield , however there were several conductors.

Not suggesting this is Sheffield; just for interest :

Female Tram Driver, 1916

(If it needs moving to Non-Sheffield History that's fine).

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I dont think there were any female tram or bus drivers in sheffield , however there were several conductors.

Indeed i know of one who met her future husband on the tram she ws conducting on

I have it from my friend that there were a small number of female drivers, - authenticity obviously needs checking, but it does seem reasonable that during wartime with men being away on active military service that women would be used in this occupation.

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I have it from my friend that there were a small number of female drivers, - authenticity obviously needs checking, but it does seem reasonable that during wartime with men being away on active military service that women would be used in this occupation.

Digressing slightly. I remember a long-running recruitment campaign in South Yorkshire in the 1960's for tram drivers to work in Melbourne, Australia. I can remember seeing the newspaper ads. and even though, at that particular time emigration was the furthest thing from my mind, there was a kind of fascination that someone in a far-off country was offering a new life to 'ordinary' people like us.

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