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Due to the proximity of the Gretna Munitions factory to Carlisle and the sudden influx of 10,000 female munitions workers into the area, the local police force struggled to cope with new challenges faced in maintaining law and order.

In a bid to control the girls’ behaviour the Women Police Service were invited to establish a base in the City at Portland Square, and at the factory in Gretna. This wasn't the first time the WPS had been asked to supplement the police, but with 165 members Carlisle was by far the largest contingent.

They were given the sensitive job of searching the workers for explosives and making sure no prohibited materials were taken into or out of the nine mile long production facility.

Equally important they were tasked with keeping an eye on the girls’ moral wellbeing and they patrolled the streets of Carlisle making sure women were not taken advantage of by men, when under the influence of drink.

Despite the important role they played in providing security and pastoral care, they didn't have the power of arrest. This combined with the average WPS member being drawn from an older and higher social class made them distinctly unpopular with the working class girls at the factory. The female munition workers were well paid for the dangerous work they did and didn't take kindly to being told how to enjoy themselves when they had time off.

With end of the war and the closure of the factory the WPS was no longer needed and the sight of women in police uniforms on the city's streets was a social experiment that wasn't repeated until World War Two.

Location: Portland Square, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1PY
Image: Women police officers, courtesy of IWM

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