Page 13 - RVM-HB-KTHFB
P. 13
Keep The Home Fires Burning
Women Workers Wake Up!
At The start of the New Year, the trade in the town had settled down from the turmoil of
the opening weeks of the war. The main employers were the Needle, fishing tackle and
spring trades with the newer industry of cycle making employing many skilled workers.
The BSA set up a factory making Lewis guns. In the early weeks of the war there had
been short time and half time working as the industry adjusted to the change trading
Patterns. Customers in Europe had cancelled orders as ports were closed and railways
carried troops rather than goods. This was elevated a little by orders from USA being
redirected from manufacturers in Germany to Redditch .The fish hook manufactures had
been badly affected by the closer of the oceans to fishing vessels. And half time working
by cycle firms was stopped when new orders for cycles were received.
Redditch was a town with a population in 1911 when the census was taken was 16,500.
By early spring of 1915 the male working population had been depleted through the
reserves and territorials being called up, and local men who had headed posters papers
and their pals and joined Kitchener’s army. By the spring of 1915 the Army numbered
over a million men, the spring offence had highlighted the lack of shells and equipment
for the men and generally the poor organisation of the war industries. It was said it took
3 civilians to equip one man at the front. David Lloyd George became Minster for Munitions
and in May, the Munitions of War Bill was passed. This meant the government could take
over factory’s controlling production for the employees it meant the right to strike were
suspended. However wages were guaranteed and munitions worker could wear a badge.
In July the national registration act was brought in. Every one between 15 and 65 had to
register and giving their address and if they had dependants and if they would do war
work, or not and carry an ID Card. For some this suggested the government was going
to do something that had been rejected by the Lords in January, Conscription. In October
the voluntary Darby plan was put forward. Men single and married between 18 and 41 to
were asked to attest to join up when they were needed.
The constant combing out of men meant there was a national shortage of skilled labour.
Lloyd George needed 300,000 munitions workers; he proposed that there should be
classes to train people in turning, drilling and machine work. Classes were held in Redditch
Technical School, after training for 40 hours in your spare time you received a certificate.
They were failed in Redditch as most men who hadn’t joined up were in work. Also when
you finished the course you could be sent any were in the country which did not help any
skill shortages in the area.
There was a need for workers, the women in Redditch had always worked in the 1911
census it was noted that 51 percent of factory workers were women. Companies were
expanding and they were looking to women and girls. Terry’s Novelty and spring works
were looking for,”20 girls between 16 and 21 for light clean munitions work”. There is no
mention of the wages. The hourly rate in the needle, fishing tackle industries were low,
women and girls could earn more on peace work but not as much as the men. In Spring
1916 girls from the needle and fishing tackle trades at Astwood Bank invited Mrs Fawcett
from the ‘Federation of Women’s workers ’ to speak at a meeting with the purpose of
setting up of a branch in the village. Mrs Fawcett was of the opinion that “some of the
smaller workshops and the working conditions of the operatives in the village were similar
to the chain makers of Cradley Heath” indeed until a short time before the start of the
War many of the benches in small workshops were rented out to the operatives. In the
words of brass workers union rep “Many workers could have bought the tumble down
shops many times over”.
Source: Sue Tatlow Page: 13
Women Workers Wake Up!
At The start of the New Year, the trade in the town had settled down from the turmoil of
the opening weeks of the war. The main employers were the Needle, fishing tackle and
spring trades with the newer industry of cycle making employing many skilled workers.
The BSA set up a factory making Lewis guns. In the early weeks of the war there had
been short time and half time working as the industry adjusted to the change trading
Patterns. Customers in Europe had cancelled orders as ports were closed and railways
carried troops rather than goods. This was elevated a little by orders from USA being
redirected from manufacturers in Germany to Redditch .The fish hook manufactures had
been badly affected by the closer of the oceans to fishing vessels. And half time working
by cycle firms was stopped when new orders for cycles were received.
Redditch was a town with a population in 1911 when the census was taken was 16,500.
By early spring of 1915 the male working population had been depleted through the
reserves and territorials being called up, and local men who had headed posters papers
and their pals and joined Kitchener’s army. By the spring of 1915 the Army numbered
over a million men, the spring offence had highlighted the lack of shells and equipment
for the men and generally the poor organisation of the war industries. It was said it took
3 civilians to equip one man at the front. David Lloyd George became Minster for Munitions
and in May, the Munitions of War Bill was passed. This meant the government could take
over factory’s controlling production for the employees it meant the right to strike were
suspended. However wages were guaranteed and munitions worker could wear a badge.
In July the national registration act was brought in. Every one between 15 and 65 had to
register and giving their address and if they had dependants and if they would do war
work, or not and carry an ID Card. For some this suggested the government was going
to do something that had been rejected by the Lords in January, Conscription. In October
the voluntary Darby plan was put forward. Men single and married between 18 and 41 to
were asked to attest to join up when they were needed.
The constant combing out of men meant there was a national shortage of skilled labour.
Lloyd George needed 300,000 munitions workers; he proposed that there should be
classes to train people in turning, drilling and machine work. Classes were held in Redditch
Technical School, after training for 40 hours in your spare time you received a certificate.
They were failed in Redditch as most men who hadn’t joined up were in work. Also when
you finished the course you could be sent any were in the country which did not help any
skill shortages in the area.
There was a need for workers, the women in Redditch had always worked in the 1911
census it was noted that 51 percent of factory workers were women. Companies were
expanding and they were looking to women and girls. Terry’s Novelty and spring works
were looking for,”20 girls between 16 and 21 for light clean munitions work”. There is no
mention of the wages. The hourly rate in the needle, fishing tackle industries were low,
women and girls could earn more on peace work but not as much as the men. In Spring
1916 girls from the needle and fishing tackle trades at Astwood Bank invited Mrs Fawcett
from the ‘Federation of Women’s workers ’ to speak at a meeting with the purpose of
setting up of a branch in the village. Mrs Fawcett was of the opinion that “some of the
smaller workshops and the working conditions of the operatives in the village were similar
to the chain makers of Cradley Heath” indeed until a short time before the start of the
War many of the benches in small workshops were rented out to the operatives. In the
words of brass workers union rep “Many workers could have bought the tumble down
shops many times over”.
Source: Sue Tatlow Page: 13
