Title: Female workers, Birtley Iron Company, World War Two
Photographer: Unknown
Date: Date Unknown
Reference Number: GL000011
Item Description: At the start of World War Two, thousands of women volunteered for essential work in order to release men to go into the armed forces. By 1940 however it was clear that larger numbers would be needed. In December 1941, the National Service Act (no 2) made the conscription of women legal. At first, only single women aged 20-30 were called up, but by mid-1943, almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were employed in essential work for the war effort.
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