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Cammell Laird Women 1917


History dude

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A photograph of the women workers of the "Cammal Laird" 60ft workshop dated 1917. The card on the back says Van Ralty, Artist in Portraiture. They had branches in the north in Manchester, Liverpool, Oldam, Bolton, Nottingham and in Sheffield at 37 Fargate, where this picture would have come from.

The only woman that I know for certain is my grandmother, Alice Yeardley. She can be seen 2nd from left, she was about 16 or 17 when it was taken. She has dated the picture to 1917, in ink on the back.

Does anyone know what they would be doing in the 60 foot workshop?

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Thanks for that info ;-)

The spelling of the place was correct as that what was written on the back of the photo :P

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Thanks for that info ;-)

The spelling of the place was correct as that what was written on the back of the photo :P

Yes but who wrote it?

Did they work for Cammell Laird?

Did they have something against them? Or the women?

After all Camel Laid women could mean something naughty couldn't it! :o

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No they just couldn't spell. ;-) Education wasn't like today you know. Kids today are treated like they are 10 at aged 21! Back in 1917 at 14 you were 21! As long as you could read the notices saying "danger" nobody was bothered if you couldn't spell if you were working class. They just didn't want you getting stuck in the works. They had to stop production if that happened.

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No they just couldn't spell. ;-) Education wasn't like today you know. Kids today are treated like they are 10 at aged 21! Back in 1917 at 14 you were 21! As long as you could read the notices saying "danger" nobody was bothered if you couldn't spell if you were working class. They just didn't want you getting stuck in the works. They had to stop production if that happened.

Well, you said it History Dude!

Isn't that exactly what I have been saying about Shakespeare for years lol

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Romantic picture but not one of them has their head covered and doubt the clothing would have given them any protection. Doesn't match with any photos I have seen. Far too clean & dust free.

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Girls two and three seem to have the style of the clothes seen in the picture I posted of some of the girls, though of course none are wearing any head wear. Their faces however look more Pre-Raphaelite than faces of 1917.

Some of them are spitting images of Lizzie Siddal and Jane Morris. The artist must have been a big fan of Morris and D.G.R..

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The ladies involved in munitions production were known as "Munitionettes". As for "protection", accidents were frequently considered to be the fault of the workers involved...although Factory Acts were starting to make illegal some of the worst working practices....Having said that, in my days at school back in the 1950s, my father, who was a foreman at ESC, would rant at the metal-work teacher for the school not providing goggles when we were using grinding wheels.....needless to say, I was the only lad who had a pair!

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The ladies involved in munitions production were known as "Munitionettes".

Am i wrong in thinking they were also called "Canary Girls" too?

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the "canary girls" were the ones who worked with phosphorous. The phospherous poisoned them and turned the skin yellow. Many died from it.

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The "Canary Girls" worked as "shell fillers" and were exposed to the toxicity given off by the high explosives with which the shells were filled. Amatol and TNT( trinitrotuluene) being two of the usual ones. A symptom of such poisoning was a change in skin colour to a yellowish orange...hence "Canary Girls" but loss of hair, or it turning green, chest pains, nausea, skin irritation and infertility were other symptoms ...which lasted much longer than did the War. Eventually, they were issued with masks.

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I believe no Sheffield shell work included filling. The shells were sent by rail to one of the National filling Factories. (So there was a lot of transportation around the city and beyond. Petrol was scarce, and horse-and-cart was common in Sheffield.)

Peter

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Keep 'em coming, I'll give you a kiss when you get to 1,000 ...

Gosh, I see that was Post Number 101. Do I get a Centurion's badge?

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Almost all of the factories in Sheffield and District engaged in forging and machining shell cases were rail connected to the then extensive national rail network.

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