Women of steel
For more than 70 years, the monumental efforts of the women of Sheffield who kept the huge steel factories going during World War II went largely unrecognised. But that was finally put right in 2016 with the unveiling of the statue, Women of Steel…
Kathleen Roberts was 87 in 2009 when she told the story of her wartime experience to the Sheffield Star. Kathleen wanted a permanent tribute to the thousands of women from Sheffield who worked in factories to help the war effort – most of whom were unceremoniously sacked when the men returned.
Her rallying cry had a remarkable impact on Sheffield, and even made its way into international headlines. She was joined in her campaign by three other women – Kit Sollitt, Ruby Gascoigne and Dorothy Slingsby – and the foursome were backed by the whole of Sheffield. These women showed remarkable determination in raising enough money to fund the statue. Donations grew through hundreds of small contributions – from pensioners and children’s cake bakes to a huge pop concert and city-wide sponsored walks.
The fact that the statue was the first in Sheffield to be paid for by public donations for more than a century made it extra special. The bronze sculpture by Martin Jennings cost £150,000 and now stands proudly in Barker’s Pool in the city centre.
TALES FROM THE FACTORIES DOT REARDON,
who passed away aged 105 in January 2019, was 16 when she went to work for engraving firm Pryor.
SHE SAYS: ‘I was one of the lucky ones. I escaped working with heavy, dirty machinery in the big, noisy factories. Instead, my job was to help engrave trademarks on to shell casings.’
Although Dot’s job wasn’t physically intensive in the traditional sense, she still worked incredibly hard. Dot explained: ‘There was no time to relax on the eight-hour shifts. There was such a huge demand for the munitions needed by our soldiers, we were constantly under pressure to work faster. I didn’t mind, though – it felt like I was doing something useful, and it was a good feeling knowing I was doing my bit to help the war effort.
‘I can honestly say I enjoyed my wartime job. I worked alongside 20 other engravers, only two of which were men, in a very clean room, which was essential as the engraving was so precise and intricate. I never saw any accidents, and it was always a great atmosphere. We would have the radio on and would sing along to wartime songs to help pass the time.’
It wasn’t just the nature of the work that Dot enjoyed; it was also the newfound independence that came with it. She recalled: ‘For the first time, I actually received a pay slip and a wage, which was a rather pleasant novelty. While I’d been in service, I didn’t receive any real money, as I was paid in board and meals. It felt good to be able to take home some money, no matter how small, to help my sister Elizabeth and her husband Harry, who I lived with during the war.’
ALMA BOTTOMLEY
was 16 when she signed on at the Goldthorpe Labour Exchange and was sent to work in Sprotbrough Foundry, which specialised in the manufacture of track links for tanks.
SHE SAYS: ‘It was a huge shock, and no one could have prepared me for it.’
Thrown into a harsh male environment, it felt a million miles from her previous comfortable job in service. One minute she had been maintaining a well-kept home, next she was making heavy moulds for the caterpillar treads on military tanks. ‘The first thing that hit me was the head-pounding noise and the continual bump, bump, bump of vibrations. It was never-ending and made your whole body shake and your head constantly ache. ‘I can still feel it now when I think about it.’ Alma’s new job had her stand next to a huge overhead funnel that spurted out millions of tiny razor-sharp shards of grit-like sand into a giant mould. ‘ We were given special caps to wear to protect our hair, but they weren’t much use.’
RUBY GASCOIGNE
was working at Green’s sweet shop at the start of the war, but in December 1940 she was sent to work at WT Flather’s Standard Steelworks in Tinsley. She had never been near a works in her life and didn’t even know how to get there. The tram was out of commission after the lines were damaged in the Blitz, so workers either had to walk or jump on the back of a lorry that was offering lifts.
Ruby’s journey to work on her first day was even more unusual. As she made her way to Flather’s, a Rolls-Royce pulled up alongside her, and the smartly dressed driver asked her if she needed a lift.
Ruby accepted and only later discovered she had been safely deposited at her new place of work by Mr Flather’s personal chauffeur! Not the normal mode of transport for a steelworker, but one Ruby would never forget.
However, the luxury came to an abrupt halt when Ruby stepped inside the huge factory manufacturing munitions and parts for war planes. Ruby told Sheffield Star reporter Nancy Fielder in 2010: ‘ When I went into the works, I was utterly terrified. I was the laughing-stock of the firm because of my overalls.
‘I was only small, and they gave me enormous overalls and a horrible khaki hat.
I went into that firm, and I could have screamed. I did cry. It was the noise and the smell and all the men staring at me in this get-up. By the time I left at 10 o’clock, I cried all the way home.’
Her son, Kevin, explained: ‘Mum had to go back to work. But the one thing my grandma could do to make Mum’s life more bearable was to sort out those ghastly overalls. I have no idea how, but she persuaded a friend, Mrs Clark, to stay up most of the night to alter them, ensuring by the next morning they fitted in all the right places.’