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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer Lis Edwards on behalf of Mrs Joan Whitehead and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Whitehead fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.

I worked in munitions for four years during the war filling .303 tracer bullets, detonators and smoke floats (for the Navy).

These were extremely dangerous jobs, as fingers could be blown off by the detonators exploding, if not handled very carefully. We were not allowed to work in the pressing room until we were 21, only doing the filling.

I don’t think people realised that we young munitions workers were constantly in danger, day and night. We worked three 8 hour shifts, mornings, afternoons and nights.

We have never received the recognition we deserved, no features I don’t think have ever been done about our part in the war. I feel very strongly about this. Without us doing our bit, what would the forces have been fighting back with — BREAD ROLLS?!!

One of the women from our town, Market Drayton, a young soldiers wife, worked as an examiner in the munitions. Coming off night shift, Gwen went back to collect her jacket she had left in the magazine she had been working in. Suddenly the magazine blew up with Gwen inside, killed instantly.

How quickly lives are lost in war time.

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