Munitions Workers Stories

Doris Cheshire - Birmingham Small Arms Factory

Doris Cheshire worked at Birmingham Small Arms Company for two years. BSA was formed in 1861 by gunsmith members of the Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association. By 1863 they had built a factory on land near Small Heath in Birmingham.

During the First World War, the company produced rifles, Lewis guns, shells, bicycles, motorcycles and other vehicles for the war effort as well as machine tools. By the Second World War BSA were the only company in the UK producing rifles. BSA Guns Ltd was producing .303 Browning machine guns for the Air Ministry (the main aircraft armament at the time) at the rate of 600 guns per week in March 1939 and Browning production was to peak at 16,390 per month by March 1942.

Doris worked on the gun view, all the workers in her department were women except for the foreman who was a man. Doris said there were good days and bad days at BSA, she cleaned the guns and guns that were taken off planes which had seen combat. Sometimes she would find blood on the guns and occasionally parts of fingers. It could be very distressing for the workers who would often become very upset. Doris worked with her friend Joyce whose husband was a pilot and sadly lost his life over Essen. Doris said that working on the gun view was hard graft, as munitions shifts could be twelve hours long, the work was tiring, and they didn’t have much choice as to the work they undertook.

Doris said that everyone had a hard job, they were always scared of a bombing raid or an accident at the factory, she said that “your parents never knew if they would see you again once you left for your shift.” Despite the hard work and the fear, they felt that they were doing their bit. Doris said that being on rations meant that she was often hungry.

Alongside the long working hours, workers also had to commute to the factory which meant taking the bus early in the morning and late at night. Doris used to catch the number 8 bus from Belgrave Road in Balsall Heath to get to the factory in Small Heath. She said that although it felt like a long journey it was not that far away. She said that she used to run down Armoury Road if she was late because the factory would dock workers a quarter of an hour’s pay if they were even a minute late. As money was short Doris could not afford to be late!

On the 19 November 1940 Birmingham experienced its most severe attack of the Second World War. The raid lasted all night, and it is estimated that 440 bombers killed 450 people and injured 540 others. Approximately, 400 tonnes of high explosives were dropped on Birmingham during the raid. Factories damaged in the raid alongside BSA, included Lucas Industries and GEC works. Around 53 employees were killed as they took shelter behind blast walls, 89 were injured, 30 of them seriously, and rifle production was said to have been halted for three months as a result.

Doris remembers arriving at the factory the morning after the bombing, she said that there were large holes along Armoury Road and that a chunk of the front of the BSA factory was missing. She remembers everyone crying, even the men, and that people were still being treated for their injuries. She said that a lot of people were killed when the floors gave way, and the machinery fell into the basement where people were sheltering from the bombing as they couldn’t get to the shelters in time. Doris remembers Winston Churchill visiting the site the day after the bombing and everyone wanting to shake his hand.

The factory had previously been hit by the Luftwaffe on the 26 August 1940 resulting in one high explosive bomb and a shower of incendiaries hitting the main barrel mill, which was the only one operating on service rifles in the country, causing the unaffordable loss of 750 machine tools but thankfully no loss of life.

Despite the daily dangers, the workers stuck together and would find some relief from the work and their distress in dancing. Doris remembers going to the dances at the BSA canteen, she says they were lovely dances, and that there was a good atmosphere and nearly everyone danced.

After her war work at the BSA factory Doris went to work on the trams as a conductress. She said that you didn’t have much choice on where you were sent to work, although she did not want to join the Land Army as she would have missed her mum too much.

I asked Doris’s daughter Colleen how the family feels about Doris’s war work, and she said:

“Our family is very proud of Mom’s contribution to the war effort. She often talked about it when we were younger, so we have known about her experiences for a long time. Fortunately, she was, and still is at 103, a tough and resilient woman who we admire greatly. It’s hard for us to fully realise just how hard life at that time must have been. Her experiences of being a munitions worker was very important to her, which is why she can still describe it vividly.”

With thanks to Colleen Carroll for her comments and for the photos of Doris.

Mary Cameron - Vickers Armstrong

Mary Cameron worked at Vickers-Armstrong at the Scotswood Works site in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Vickers-Armstrong Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir WG Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927.

Elswick’s ability to change from peacetime to wartime production was vitally important and its overall production rates were above all expectations.

Alongside its armaments production, the Elswick Works is still best known for its land vehicles and tanks. The early preparation of the British Army at the start of the War resulted in a largely Vickers-armed military force. The Ministry of Defence automatic infantry weapons of choice were the Vickers K and Lewis machine guns, with the main tank in use at the beginning of the conflict being the Vickers Medium Tank. Over 18,500 people were employed on war-work, split between Elswick and Scotswood.

Mary worked at the Scotswood site for most of the War and assembled pins for armaments. She volunteered for war-work, and it was her first proper job. Munitions work was well paid and for most women it allowed them to earn their first decent wage.

Mary would hand over her wage packet unopened to her mother who would then take money for her” keep” and hand back the wage packet with whatever money remained for Mary to spend as she wished. For Mary it was a source of pride to be able to earn her keep and to help her family.
Most of the people working at the factory were local to the site and able to live at home rather than in dormitories or boarding with families.

Mary really loved her time working at Vickers, she made many lifelong friends at the factory, and she remembered a lot of fun and laughter on her shifts. She worked at a bench with three other girls, and they would share a joke and a laugh. The workers wore overalls whilst on their shift and safe shoes to protect them from materials that risked creating a spark and igniting the dangerous substances, they were handling.

Mary and her colleagues would often go to dances or to the “pictures” after their shift and they would often have to charm their foreman into letting them off early so they didn’t miss the beginning of the film they wanted to see. They would sometimes hear German doodle bugs as they made their way home from the cinema, and would be afraid that when the noise stopped, a bomb would fall, and they didn’t know where it would land.

Mary was married in 1947 and had three children. Mary’s husband was also employed by Vickers-Armstrong during the war, he worked at the Vickers aircraft factory at Brooklands in Weybridge Surrey which produced the Wellington Bombers Aeroplanes.

Mary did not work after her marriage and devoted herself to looking after her home and raising her children. She retained the friendship of all those she had closely worked with at Vickers during the war until they died.

Mary outlived her friends, passing away at the age of 99 years and 11 months in January 2024.

Irene, who was Mary’s second child has told me that “it was a real joy to be able to show mam the Badge of Recognition for her war work just a few months before she died.

“We are all enormously proud of our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother Mary, and we miss her very much.”

Irene presented Mary with the badge, and she remembers her smiling broadly as she looked at it and said, “That’s lovely! Fancy! After all this time.”

With thanks to Irene Somerville-Meikle for her comments and for the photo of Mary.

In 1942 whilst working as a machinist at Thomas Marshall (Marlbeck) Ltd, one of the most prestigious tailoring companies in Leeds, Dorothy received her call up papers.Dorothy and two work friends dutifully reported to the recruiting office, hoping to become Land Girls. Unfortunately, the government had decreed that all boys born in 1924 would work in the mines, and all the girls born that year were destined for munitions factories.They were offered the choice to work on munitions at Hunslet Engine Company or on the manufacture of aircraft parts for the Fairey Swordfish Aeroplane. They chose the latter and were ordered to report to Appleyard’s in Regent Street, Sheepscar.

Appleyard’s like many companies during this period, was taken over for War production. Appleyard’s was hailed as the ‘biggest garage under one roof in Europe’, but even their extensive workshops had to be expanded to accommodate the manufacture of Fairey Swordfish wings.For the first two weeks the women were placed on the night shift from 7.30pm to 7am. They were sent to a satellite building where they made wooden boxes to house lifejackets and other safety equipment for the aeroplanes. Dorothy says that working nights was quite a shock to the system, it was a big life change with exhausting working hours which took some getting used to. Dorothy’s days were made longer by her journey to work, she had to catch a bus or tram into Leeds city centre, and a second to Sheepscar. It was a long trek in the blackout with only a torch to light the way!After their initial two weeks the three friends were transferred to the main factory and onto a day shift (they worked two weeks of night shifts and two weeks of day shifts on a rota). Dorothy was given a job working on wing ribs; there were 12 ribs per wing, each made from two strips of aluminium ranging in length from 4ft to 6ft. Dorothy’s job was to fit the aluminium strips into a large, heavy-duty jig, manoeuvre the jig under a hydraulic punch to make rivet holes, then fix metal struts to hold the rib in place ready for the riveting.

The workers were expected to complete a whole set of 12 ribs in one shift, which took some doing. It was hard work as the jig was heavy to operate, and the ribs were cumbersome to hang up for quality checks. Once they’d passed inspection, they had to string them together as a set ready to be sent for riveting.Dorothy remembers that there was music while they worked, which was broadcast through the factory tannoy system. The music helped to keep the workers awake on their long night shift. They were allowed two 10-minute breaks for a quick cup of tea, and an hour for lunch. There was a canteen where workers could buy a hot meal, but Dorothy preferred to take a packed lunch as she couldn’t face a full meal on the night shift.Dorothy said that the male factory workers thought it was great to have some women in the workplace and liked to try their luck chatting them up. She recognises that this behaviour would be frowned upon today, but in those days, she says, “we didn’t think anything of it. If they became a pest, they were told to get lost!”

Appleyard’s closed for the manufacture of aeroplane parts in 1944 and the workers were sent back to their previous positions, for Dorothy this meant a return to tailoring. However, they were told that they could be called back to munitions if the need arose. For Dorothy the call did not come, and she was able to resume her career in tailoring.Dorothy says that her fondest memories of working at Appleyard’s were when various people came to the factory to give talks or to entertain the workers during their meal break. The most memorable for Dorothy was a visit from Fleet Air Arm officers, who told them how important the Fairey Swordfish Aeroplane was to the War, as it was the only plane that could carry a torpedo and fly under the radar; they were very grateful for their hard work. Dorothy also highlights a visit from four badly injured soldiers who had survived the prisoner of war camps, she says “their stories were both heartbreaking and inspirational, and left a lasting memory with me.”Dorothy said she didn’t really give it a second thought when her war work ended. It was wartime and no one questioned what was asked of them, they just got on and did it. So, when the work came to an end, and they were sent back to tailoring she just accepted it.

Overall, Dorothy says she is proud that the work she did contributed to the construction of aeroplanes which were essential to the war effort.

With thanks to Dorothy King for sharing her story, and to her daughter Fiona Mortimer for writing the story and providing the photographs.

Dorothy King -Appleyard's of Leeds

Margaret Machin - Swynnerton Rose

Margaret Machin worked at ROF Swynnerton in Stone, Staffordshire. ROF Swynnerton was a filling factory and was built between 1939 and 1941. Munitions production began in mid-1940, and Margaret worked at the site for four years, from 1941-1945. Margaret’s job was to fill firing caps, she would have been based in a small building, surrounded by earth banks to contain accidental blasts. Filling factories usually consisted of lots of small buildings for protection, that way, if an explosion happened in one building, production could continue in another. Margaret’s fondest memory is of the friends she made at ROF Swynnerton. The camaraderie amongst munitions workers has been a recurring theme throughout my research. Although most munitions workers would have been local to the factory, as in Margaret’s case, in December 1941 Parliament passed a second National Service Act. It widened the scope of conscription and all unmarried women, and all childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 were liable to be called up for war work. This meant that ROF Swynnerton would have received an influx of female workers and Margaret would have met people from all over the country. When asked about how she felt when the work came to an end, Margaret said she felt sad that she never again saw the friends she made at ROF Swynnerton. Sadly, after the War, women who had been conscripted into the factories, in the main, returned to their homes in other parts of the country, and lost touch with the friends they had made during their service. Over the years, when I have asked former workers how they felt about the work they undertook, the overwhelming responses have been, “oh it was a job, and it had to be done,” or “I didn’t think I was doing anything special.” Margaret, however, realised the importance of her work and the impact it had on the outcome of the War. If it were not for munitions workers like Margaret, the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force would have been unable to fight, let alone win a war. Margaret and Sue, accompanied a small group of former workers who visited 10 Downing Street in 2017, to meet the then Prime Minister, Teresa May. The Prime Minister spoke to Margaret about her War work and the importance of what she did during a time of national emergency. Both Margaret and Sue remember the day fondly and paused to have their picture taken on the steps of 10 Downing Street. It has been a long road to recognition for Margaret and her colleagues, and one of the most sustaining relationships has been the connection that has been established between the former ROF Swynnerton site and the Munitions Workers Association. In fact, it would be fair to say that without the support, kindness, interest and goodwill of Major Retired Jim Salisbury and his colleagues, Jenny Cummings and several former Commandants of the site, we would not have achieved all we have today. For several years the former factory hosted a Remembrance Day gathering at the site. This was attended by former workers of ROF Swynnerton and their families. The events were an opportunity for former workers to discuss their War work with fellow colleagues and to remember lost friends. At one of these get-togethers, Margaret met a childhood friend who she had not seen in many years, although they had never worked together at ROF Swynnerton. The former factory holds a special place in the hearts of its former workers.

However, I don’t want to give away too much as a story will be forthcoming about ROF Swynnerton!

I was fortunate to meet Margaret when she joined the Munitions Workers Association to march at the National Service of Remembrance in Whitehall London. Each year a contingent of former workers march in the parade, and Margaret and Sue have been at the core of this group. On this day we reflect on the work these individuals undertook and share stories about relatives and friends. I would like to end this piece with a poem which was included in a play called, “I don’t want to set the world on fire,” by Bob Eaton:

The Roses of Swynnerton,

Work hard night and day.

If it wasn’t for the Roses of Swynnerton

Where would Old England be?