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 isn’t surprising given the poverty of working class families at the time. For Mary, there were more pressing circumstances, she was one of six siblings living with their parents in Castleford. There were eight family members to support, including three younger than herself.

Mary’s employment contributed just over a guinea a week to support the family.

They lived in Nicholson Street in the Smawthorne area of Castleford. It was in easy walking distance of the train station from where trains travelled to Barnbow. Her parents, Annie and John, would see her off to work and be pleased when she returned. There were others from Castleford who traveled to work at the factory with her. Sadly, four of them died in the same explosion.

We now know that on the night of 5 December 1916, Mary and 169 others started the night shift in room 42, where they fused shells already containing explosives. The women inserted a fuse in each shell and screwed down its cap. They then placed the shells in a machine to tighten the screws.

Just as the clock was approaching half past ten, the fatal explosion occurred. Some, like Mary, died immediately, others died of their injuries. In total 35 women were killed outright or maimed. 

Others from Castleford who died in that explosion were Polly Booth (age 21), Eliza Grant (age 39), Edith Levitt (22) and Maggie Barker (17). Eliza was the mother of seven children.

The authorities held an inquest on Mary Gibson’s death on 13th December 1916. Her death certificate registered on the 21st of that month lists the cause of her death as “shock from injuries to her vital organs by accidental explosion of a shell in a fusing machine.”

Not the Christmas present the family would have liked. The Ministry of Munitions paid them £90 compensation. 

Two later explosions increased those killed at the factory to 40, including three men. Barnbow stopped producing the shells at the end of the war. The factory closed in the thirties. 

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