The story of Britain's hidden World War II heroines, in their own
words.
They were the unsung heroines of World War II; the wives, moms, and
teenage girls, all "doing their bit" for the war effort, clocking in
daily to work in vast munitions factories, helping make the explosives,
bullets, and war machines that would ensure victory for Britain. It was
dangerous, dirty, and exhausting work. They worked round the clock,
often exposed to toxic lethal chemicals. A factory accident could mean
blindness, loss of limbs--or worse. Many went home with acid burns,
yellow skin, or discolored hair. Others were forced to leave their loved
ones and move to live with total strangers in unfamiliar surroundings.
Frequently, their male bosses were coarse and unsympathetic. Yet this
hidden army of nearly two million women toiled on regardless through the
worst years of the war, cheerfully ignoring the dangers and the
exhaustion, as bombing, rationing, and the heartbreak of loss or
separation took their toll on everyone in the country. Only now, all
these years later, have they chosen to tell their remarkable stories.
Here, in their own words, are the vivid wartime memories of the "secret
army" of female munitions workers, whose resilience and sheer grit in
the face of danger have only now started to emerge. These are the
intimate and personal stories of an unforgettable group of women, whose
hard work and quiet courage made a significant contribution to Britain's
war effort. They didn't fire the bullets, but they filled them up with
explosives. And in doing so, they helped Britain with the war.
