The 14 year old girl who gave her life for the country - the Barnbow women
In 1915, during World War 1 the Leeds Munitions Committee established a munitions factory at Barnbow, located near Cross Gates and Garforth in Leeds. Its location, even its existence, was kept a secret for the duration of the war. We now know that within a year of its opening, 35 women, including Mary Gibson (a 14 year old Cas lass), were killed in an explosion at the works. At the over 200 acre site, a workforce of over 16,000, nearly all female, worked in 8 hour shifts that covered 6 days a week, 24 hours a day, to produce shells for the war. The only time off was every third Saturday and Sundays. There were no holidays. The workers went there because of the reasonably good pay and to help the war effort. A lot of the women left domestic service because of the better pay. Mary was not one of those former domestics. She was born in 1902 and so was only 14 years of age. This was too young to be employed in a munitions factory, but she was. She might have lied about the age, which i...