Figure 1.-- In Britain the pressing need for women to work in munitions prompted the government to provide some funds towards the cost of day nurseries, but only for munitions workers. By 1917 there were more than 100 day nurseries across the country. There were, however, no provision for women working in any other occupations. Most had to rely on friends and family to help care for their children while they were at work. Here we see a fresh air school (we think that means something like a summer day camp) for workers children in the munitions township of Gretna Green.

World War I was the first total war involving civilians as never before. This time women were involved. Not yet in the actual fighting, but in virtually every other phase of the War. World War I was also the first truly industrial war. Industry had of course been involved in earlier wars, but never before on the scale or the duration of World War I. And the level of destruction and casualties was beyond human comprehension. Unlike previous wars, Britain and Europe wold be traumatized by the War. Which is why at the time, World war I was called the Great War. Until World War I, the industrial factory work force was virtually all male. And women were drawn into the industrial economy as never before. Women and children had been involved in the earliest stages of the Indus trail Revolution (18th century), but laws protecting women and children were passed (19th century). Women had played a role in Britain's wars before, but never in so many ways and so fully. At the onset of the War which was not expected to be very long, women performed traditional tasks which they had filled in earlier wars. Standard domestic roles like sewing and knitting took began to take on military functions. Girls and women worked on handmade comforts for soldiers. The most common was knitting socks. The first sacrifice asked of women who giving up their sons and loved ones. More were to follow. The War emergency created food and other shortages. Rationing had to be accepted. The German U-boats challenged the Royal Navy's ability to control the sea lanes and guaranteed food and raw material imports. Housewives had to make do with less and less, especially many of the most popular food--meat, butter, and sweets. Unlike other countries, however, the British never went hungrily. Food was imported from America and Canada. This was possible as long as the Royal Navy kept the maritime trade connections with North America open. As more and more men were drawn into the fighting services and casualties mounted, women had to reface them in war factories, but as far as we know not the mines. Women were drawn into factory work and played an especially important role in the munitions industry. Many women had worked in the mills before the War, but they less commonly worked in industrial factories. This changed during the War. Women also replaced men in agricultural labor. It was vital that agricultural production be maintained. given the U-boat threat. The Woman's Land Army became an iconic feature of Britain's War. Women also assumed non-combat roles in the services as part of auxiliary corps -- new aspect of warfare. Women were primarily involved on the home front, but they were not absent at the fighting fronts as nurses, ambulance drivers, clerks, and switchboard operators.

The Great War

World War I was the first total war involving civilians as never before. This time women were involved. Not yet in the actual fighting, but in virtually every other phase of the War. World War I was also the first truly industrial war. Industry had of course been involved in earlier wars, but never before on the scale or the duration of World War I. And the level of destruction and casualties was beyond human comprehension. Unlike previous wars, Britain and Europe wold be traumatized by the War. Which is why at the time, World war I was called the Great War.

Industry

Until World War I, the industrial factory work force was virtually all male. And women were drawn into the industrial economy as never before. Women and children had been involved in the earliest stages of the Industrial Revolution (18th century), but laws protecting women and children were passed (19th century). The motivation was only partially humanitarian. Unions were becoming more influential and the unions with some justification saw women and children who were willing to work for lower wages as tools the factory owners were using to keep wages low.

Traditional Roles

Women had played a role in Britain's wars before, but never in so many ways and so fully. At the onset of the War which was not expected to be very long, women performed traditional tasks which they had filled in earlier wars. Standard domestic roles like sewing and knitting took began to take on military functions. Girls and women worked on handmade comforts for soldiers. The most common was knitting socks. One area where women were already involved was teaching. While not new, the participation of women in the schools was expanded as male teachers either volunteered or were conscripted for the services.

Sacrifices

The first sacrifice asked of women who giving up their sons and loved ones. More were to follow. The War emergency created food and other shortages. Rationing had to be accepted. The German U-boats challenged the Royal Navy's ability to control the sea lanes and guaranteed food and raw material imports. Housewives had to make do with less and less, especially many of the most popular food--meat, butter, and sweets. Unlike other countries, however, the British never went hungrily. Food was imported from America and Canada. This was an option the Germans and Austro-Hungarians did not have because of the Allied naval blockade. This was possible as long as the Royal Navy kept the maritime trade connections with North America open.

Manpower Problem

As more and more men were drawn into the fighting services and casualties mounted, Britain faced a serious problem. They needed more men at the front in combat roles. Britain began the War with an all volunteer military. Yet to fight a war on the Continent at the scale of World War I, conscription was needed. All the other European powers had large conscription armies. Parliament finally passed a conscription law, well into the War (1916). It was the first conscription law in British history. But this created a problem. Me at the time constituted the primary part of the work force. So to conscript workers would potentially have a negative impact on he work force, both the industrial and agricultural work force. As World War I was an industrial war, the potential impact on the war effort was obvious, a potential decline in the production of arms and munitions. Munitions that were being expended on the Western Front at a prodigious rate. But drafting agricultural workers would would reduce food production with a range of potentially debilitating consequences as well, Now Britain and France unlike the Central Powers could import from America. But there was always the danger that German U-boats could severe the sea lanes. Plus imports during World War I had to be paid for--there was no Lend Lease Program. And the Allies were essentially bankrupt. They were being financed by enormous war loans from New York banks. The British understood the delicacy of this issue better than most World War I belligerents. The result was the home front in Austria-Hungrary, Bulgaria, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia began collapsing before the field armies. Tsarist Russia was a part of the Allied coalition, but the problem there was the difficulty of getting supplies to the Russians.

British Solution

The British saw from an early point that women would have to replace the men being conscripted, both from industrial factories and agricultural work. As far as we know, there was one major exception--the mines. Here we are primarily talking about the coal mines. Industry at the time and even in World War II ran primarily on coal. Oil was becoming important, but it was coal that ran industry in every country. And Britain was especially well endowed with coal resources. Unlike World War II, women were not conscripted, but large numbers of British women volunteered. The motivation was patriotic as well as the high wages offered as well as the rather idealized working conditions depicted in the many posters. Unlike the Central powers, British support for the War effort never faltered. A factor here was probably public perception that the Germans had started the War by invading neutral Belgium and were engaged in war crimes. This was in part because of effective propaganda, but it is undeniable that the Germans pursued policies that were seen as war crimes, including abuses in Belgium, introducing, poison gas, unrestricted submarine warfare, and aerial bombing of civilians.

Volunteer Campaign

The government lunched an important campaign to get women to volunteer. e are not yet sure what Government agencies were involved. It was not as important as the one to get men to volunteer for the services--essential until conscription was introduced. Bit it was an important campaign. There of course was not radio, let alone television. A major part of the Government campaign was through posters. These posters leave a visible record of the propaganda campaign. The many posters provide idealized images of attractive in idyllic patriotic settings. Above all they avoided any suggestion that national service was unladylike.

Role of Women

British women played a wide variety of roles in World War I. Women were drawn into factory work and played an especially important role in the munitions industry. Many women had worked in the mills before the War, but they less commonly worked in industrial factories. This changed during the War. There were social class issues. The volunteers for factory work were primarily young women from working-class families. The vast expenditure of munitions on the Western Front mean that ammunition factories were especially important. One sign of that was that day nurseries were opened for the workers in ammunition factories. Women also replaced men in agricultural labor. It was vital that agricultural production be maintained. given the U-boat threat. The Woman's Land Army became an iconic feature of Britain's War. Women also assumed non-combat roles in the services as part of auxiliary corps -- a new aspect of warfare. Women were primarily involved on the home front, but they were not absent at the fighting fronts as nurses, ambulance drivers, dispatch riders, clerks, and switchboard operators. One might get the impression that women stayed out of danger, but this is not necessarily true. Ambulance drivers and dispatch riders were at the front. Munitions work was very dangerous. this is of course because of the possibility of explosions. But even more dangerous was the exposure to toxic chemicals used to produce explosives. Munition workers became known as canaries, because their skin began turning yellow. There were serous health problems, not well recognized at the time.

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Created: 10:38 PM 3/8/2019
Last updated: 10:42 PM 10/1/2024