Gloucester Canary Girls commemorated with information boards
The Canary Girls risked their lives to provide ammunition during the two world wars.
Gloucester will commemorate the so-called Canary Girls, who risked their lives to provide ammunition for the frontline, with boards telling their story in Quedgeley.
The Canary Girls was the nickname given to British women who worked in munitions factories during the two world wars, and were known for their exposure to dangerous chemicals.
Gloucester Naas Lane Farm site known as Kingsway now, was requisitioned for the location of National Filling Factory Number Five by way of land acquired by compulsory purchase.
The site was first occupied in 1914 and would later close as an RAF site on 13 February 1995.
The factory produced over 10.5 million 14″ and 16″ shells, 7 million cartridges and 23 million fuses and other components.
The site also included a horse convalescence unit.
The workforce, predominantly women, filled millions of shells and cartridges at the factory before operations ceased when the armistice with Germany was signed in November 1918.
The women workers were known locally as canaries, because many across the country suffered toxic jaundice caused by the phosphorus used to make TNT.
This turned their skin yellow and caused the premature death of untold numbers. And while the buildings were demolished between 1924 and 1926.
Gloucester City Council agreed in the autumn to look into the financial viability of a proposed statue.
However, this has been deemed to be too costly and instead the authority is looking to commemorate their efforts with information boards and plaques near the former factory site.
Councillor Andy Lewis (C, Quedgeley Severn Vale), who presented the report at this week’s cabinet meeting, said he did not know much about them until a motion was brought to council last year.
“It’s quite a sad story. The first time we really asked women to go into factories and we try and kill them.
“They are called the Canaries because they were covered in sulphur. Not the best thing to be covered in, I must admit.
“We don’t know how many ladies died. We know about a few elsewhere in the country. They did go bang occasionally.
“They didn’t in Quedgeley. It was a fair old bit of the war effort they did.
“I’ve been there for 35 years and I didn’t know about them at all.”
He said everyone was astounded that something hadn’t been done to commemorate them before.
Cllr Lewis said the council does not have enough money for a decent statue.
They instead considered places to commemorate with blue plaques and information boards.
“We wanted a walkthrough from where the main gates were and the Nissen huts used to be outside Tesco,” he said.
“This would inform people what went on. It was vital work and it must have been horrible there.
“They didn’t have masks or anything like that. They were breathing this sulphur.”
Planning cabinet member Sarah Sawyer (LD, Longlevens) said the council will write to Quedgeley Town Council to ask them to work with them and to agree on a suitable site and design the boards.
She said the council leader will also write a letter of support to the canary girls memorial project outlining the contribution made in Quedgeley and recognising the important role of the people of Gloucester plate in World War One.
“I didn’t realise there were 6,364 people, mainly women, working at that factory,” she said.
“It’s a lot of women to remember. This is a great piece of work and really good.
“Everyone in Gloucester needs to know what happened in the war.”
Council leader Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) also said he didn’t know anything about the Canary Girls.
He praised the good report by the scrutiny group. And Caroline Courtney (LD, Tuffley) said the report brought to life the lived experience of those employed there and the risks they faced in dealing with toxic and explosive substances.
“It was quite alarming to read their protective clothing was no fire proof because of the cost implications. That’s quite terrifying.
“It’s quite fortunate there are no recorded fatalities at the site due to explosions. Obviously we do not know the longer term effects.”