Singing munitioneers

I’m having to take a busking and blogging break to finish off a book on the world’s railroads. And, as a bit of a curious aside, checked out busking on railways. Nice to see these lads doing their best to bring a bit of live music into our lives www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrlrrvaJ3wE

Munitioneers and their male minders: ROF Rotherwas, 1917

When the railway book’s done it’ll be back to the book on Britain’s forgotten muntioneers, the women who built the shells that blew someone else’s sons apart during two world wars.

The work was dangerous (several thousand were killed) but above all, boring. In the First War especially the women alleviated the boredom by singing. And dancing: “When we used to go to the canteen at night all these Lancashire girls, they’d be step dancing on the tables!”