大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Margaret Haydon of the Stoke CSV Action Desk on behalf of Eva Eaton and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

During WW2 I worked as an overlocker at Congleton Garments, opposite the electric sub-station in Bromley Road, Congleton. I made "san fry" tents which were part of the soldiers' equipment and they had to be carried with them. The tents were made from very thick beige net and the material came through to me with tape attached ready to tie into the pegs. My job was to overlock the material and then sew it up to make it into a tent for one person. This was day work and I can remember that the making of the tents was very mauling work.

It was at this time that I decided to ask for a transfer to Radway Green Ordnance Factory, where my sister-in-law worked, as I knew she was getting more money than me. I went to the Labour Exchange, with two other girls, to request this, but instead we were all sent to the Old Mill, Congleton making bullets.

I was 26 or 27 years when I made bullets at R H Lowe's Old Mill, Congleton. The mill usually made knitwear, but during WW2 was turned over to making armaments. It was across the road from another R H Lowe mill that had previously manufactured underwear, but then made military uniforms.

There were three shifts per day; morning, noon and night work, and I remember three rows of machines in the mill. There was a lathe, into which a long steel rod was shoved and a handle was pulled down to cut and size the bullet. The next machine shaped the bullet by cutting steel off around it. I operated a drilling machine which bored a hole in the bullet and this was done by pulling a handle down. The machine had water and oil running through it and this made my hands very cold. On one occasion, I nearly developed pneumonia and was off work for some time with a dangerously high temperature. I wore a brown cap to stop my hair getting into the machine; everybody had to keep their hair out of the machines by wearing caps or scarves. There was another stage where the bullets had to burred or smoothed. (I have an idea the bullet's pen shape end was formed before it got to me, but I am not sure).

The bullets had to all be the same thickness and be inspected by an overlooker because they had to be perfect. The supervisors were always rushing us and didn't like us wasting any time. The days seemed long as this was boring work.

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