Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

Women at Work During World War II

Discussion in 'Women at War' started by Jim, May 5, 2007.

  1. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    ON April 19, 1941, women born in 1920 were called upon to register for national service. In a broadcast explaining the scheme Mr. Ralph Assheton, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, said, "We cannot allow any healthy young woman to remain idle. We know women are ready to do what is wanted of them once it is made plain, and the compulsory powers will have to be exercised only in a very few cases. We are not going to call up women who have got young children to look after, or any woman who is going to have a baby. Neither shall we expect soldiers' wives to go away and leave their homes. Nor shall we call up women who are doing essential household work; the home life of the country must go on and many women in this way are enabling others to do important work, e.g. those splendid people who are now providing billets and looking after the children of others."

    Chimney Sweeping was one of the toughest tasks taken on by Women

    [​IMG]

    Street Lamps needed to be repaired after bombing by the Germans, this Lady was part of the repair team.

    [​IMG]

    This Lady worked on the farm, seen here using a "Fiddle Drill" the "Bow" was drawn backwards and forwards to scatter the seeds

    [​IMG]

    Milk ladies were seen regular around the city of London

    [​IMG]

    Village Blacksmiths hired girl assistants as they found it hard to get young male assistants to see out their apprenticeships before being called up.

    [​IMG]

    On the railway platforms Women were doing porter and ticket collecting work

    [​IMG]

    A squad of Women on their corporation dustbin job

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Dave War44

    Dave War44 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2006
    Messages:
    483
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    I have to say that must be the only photograph in existence of a woman with a ladder, extremely rare !
    :smirk:
     
  3. Killa752

    Killa752 Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2007
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Germany
    via War44
    :sad: :ponder: :ponder:
     
  4. Dave War44

    Dave War44 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2006
    Messages:
    483
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    Don't ponder too hard Killa, it is just a joke. A bad one maybe, but a joke nonetheless.
    ;)
     
  5. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    Interpretation required .. :lol:
     
  6. Dave War44

    Dave War44 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2006
    Messages:
    483
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    LOL, have we found a gap in his education ? :ponder:
     
  7. anirban3598

    anirban3598 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2007
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    Women's Voluntary Service (WVS), Air Raid Wardens, Auxillary Territorial Service (ATS), Women's Auxillary Air Force (WAAF), Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), Special Operations Executive (SOE) [known as Secret Agents or Spies], Entertainers

    Also, As more and more men were 'called up' to serve in the forces, women were called upon to take over the jobs traditionally done by men.

    Women worked in the factories producing aircraft, ammunition, weapons and other goods needed for the war effort. They worked long hours and could earn as much
     
  8. silver_song642

    silver_song642 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2007
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    I can't help but admire these women who took on common male roles. Instead of doing normal household jobs as most women were in those days, they strove to support the jobs that were left behind when their husbands left. I bet the men were quite surprised when they came back home! ;)

    I like how they're all smiling in the pictures too!
     
  9. katharina

    katharina New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2007
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    Yes, they sure took up the slack and stepped in. I've wondered how many women actually served on the front lines pretending to be men like they did in the American Civil War? I assume that by the 1940s, things had changed so much with the requirements for physicals and stuff that it was no longer possible?
     
  10. silver_song642

    silver_song642 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2007
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    Hmm, I tried googling it and couldn't find a clear answer, though there was another job for women that made them come to the front lines. War Correspondents were needed, and females took up that job.

    Fighting-wise, I have no clue, but I'm sure that there was an increase in nurses and reporters at least.
     
  11. TxGirl

    TxGirl New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2007
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    times were def being forced to change all over the world. the women's role all over, not just America, was soon to change forever! (thank goodness)

    here is a wonderful site about how Austrailia women's role changed. it also has some real nice pictures.

    All in - leaving home
     
  12. trixxie

    trixxie New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2007
    Messages:
    22
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    Great pictures! I think to often the woman's role in the war(s) are forgotten. At least anything that I was taught in school had to do with the men and what they were doing. How neat to actually see pictures of the women hard at work during those times. :thumb:
     
  13. azalaeeight

    azalaeeight New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2007
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    These are nice photos. :)

    So many women of my generation (Baby Boomer) grew up being very aware of all the things that women did during the war - only to end up having to fight their way to being seen as equal and capable late in the 60's and in the early 70's. In many ways, women like those in these photos were almost forgotten by a lot of people. Its nice to see them on here.
     
  14. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    I believe that the Women of all nations surprised the World with what they achieved during the War, they certainly played their part in winning it. While Hitler was encouraging German Mothers to have more Children with medals, we were putting our Women to better resources to help fight the cause. (No criticism meant on the Women of Germany with this post) :thumb:
     
  15. katharina

    katharina New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2007
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    via War44
    Yes, I suppose those jobs were filled up rather rapidly by the women who wanted to serve. There were just a lot of women who were not satisfied with sitting at home and keeping the candles burning... but on the other side, the ones who *did* that were doing a very important service, too... keeping morale up on the homefront.
     
  16. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    This Lady before the war was a commercial artist, she became a land girl in 1941 driving tractors.

    [​IMG]
     
  17. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    Land Army Girls

    Land Army Girls "go to it" with a smile. Chopping, trimming and clearing trees, all part of their job when looking after forest land, which was no work for weaklings.

    [​IMG]

    In the Forest of Dean these ladies can be seen weighing off sawn logs.

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Jim

    Jim Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    3,324
    Likes Received:
    15
    via War44
    Women In the Royal dockyards

    In the Royal dockyards women had taken on many jobs and enabled men to be released for other work. These seen here were busily engaged on their wartime task of painting ships, a job which they performed deftly and neatly.

    [​IMG]
     

Share This Page