Women of Steel
In this documentary, women munitions workers recall the part they played during the Second World War; the types of work they did in the factories, and the conditions – 'One of the biggest dangers was the hot steel shavings that came off the machines' – the constant air raids, food rationing, and trades union activity – 'We decided one day we'd had enough so we went on strike, but we found out it were illegal, you couldn't go on strike during war time' – and juggling with shift work and family responsibilities. Intercut with these interviews is archive material – images of propaganda used during that time to recruit women into the factories (from 1941) and out again (around 1945) back into the home, once the war was over.
Description source: Cinenova Catalogue (1994). Edited by Kate Norrish. Editorial committee: Elaine Burrows, Liane Harris, Helen de Witt
