GIRLS IN DUNGAREES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20207, 28 March 1940, Page 14

GIRLS IN DUNGAREES

WAR WORK PREFERRED SHORT APPRENTICESHIP / DOMESTICS SCARCE LONDON, March 13. Since the outbreak of the war large numbers of young women have departed from the south of England and have not returned; consequently, domestic servants are very scarce in London at present.

One of the reasons is that girls employed in the manufacture of munitions do not wish -to return to domestic service. A typical girl worker in a factory, which is turning out Wellington Bombers, summed up the situation when she said: “I dislike working at all hours. Here, after 11 hours, I am free. I am also better paid. I like the uniform given to us; also, this is real war work.

Women engaged in the construction of bombers are compelled to wear dungaree* overalls of different colours —machine-shop girls, blue! “dope” shop girls, khaki; finishing shop girls, grey; inspectors, green; and supervisors, white. Two suits, including caps and gloves, are issued annually. Despite the trousers, 90 per cent of the women wear high-heeled shoes. The average wage is £2 a week. Machine-shop girls, who are mainly riveters, are efficient after a fortnight’s apprenticeship. “Dope” shop girls sew an aeroplane fabric by hand. Dozens of them sit round the wing foundation, and several on top, using a kind of lock-stifch, which occasionally is reinforced by wire. Finishingshop girls paint the canvas, the interior of the fuselage, the cellophane, and the woodwork before the machine departs direct for the flying field. Wishing an aeroplane God-speed, a machine-shop girl patted the tail of the machine, and said: “I wish I could put a great bomb in you especially to finish off old Hitler and finish off the whole stupid business.” Another fact which is partially responsible for the shortage of domestic servants is that the pre-war practice of labour exchanges in every city of advancing the fares of girls proceeding to definite posts has been discontinued.