In the early days of the war the
headline ‘Women’s Work’ in the
Shipley Times & Express meant
either fund raising or making and
distributing parcels of ‘comforts’ for
the serving men.
Here are just a few examples culled
from the weekly reports from every
area across the district.
On 18 September 1914, the
newspaper published a photo
(above) of employees of Messrs W
& J Whitehead, New Lane Mills,
Laisterdyke, “knitting socks for
soldiers during their dinner hour.
The firm have provided the materials
and numbers of the employees are
doing the work in their spare time.”
And a month later, came the report
that “Idle sewing group already
provided 1,400 items for troops and
Belgian refugees.”
In February 1915 the newspaper
reported that “A woman rattled a
collecting box for four or five
months in Market Street, Bradford
and collected a total of £100.”
It was estimated that Mrs Knowles
(right), who lived in Rushcroft
Terrace, Baildon before moving to
Bradford, had collected “no fewer
than 23,000 coins, weighing about
4cwt.”
She had gone to Market Street early
and late, reminding passers-by that
‘every little helps.’
“This is a very fine instance of
woman’s work in war time and Mrs
Knowles will have the satisfaction
of knowing that she has helped
many of the dependants of our
brave fighting men, as well as
Belgian refugees and other
sufferers through the war,” the
reporter remarked.
By this stage groups of women
were beginning to assess what they
had achieved in the first few
months of the war.
350 garments
The Ladies’ section of Shipley
Distress Committee reported that in
January alone they had distributed
350 garments to soldiers at home
and abroad and a further 200 “in
the locality, chiefly amongst the
families of soldiers.
In February 1915, the women of
Clayton worked out “the aggregate
result of their endeavours since the
outbreak of war” and came up with
some extraordinary figures.
In all they had despatched 3,134
articles, with 156 parcels going to
troops connected to the village.
The total included: “327 shirts, 598
pairs of socks, 328 scarves, 233
cholera belts, 216 caps and
helmets, 64 pairs of mittens, 54
‘house-wives’ and 1,318
miscellaneous articles such as bed
jackets, towels, handkerchiefs,
padded splints etc.
“In making these articles 1,286
yards of flannel, 368 yards of
calico and 164lb of wool have
been used.”
Hand painted
The work had been funded by
donations of £122 2s 11½d which
included £1 from Master Charles
Briggs and 10s from Master
Horace Baguley, who had sold
hand-painted paper, and 6s 6d
from Mrs Greenwood of
Cambridge Street, aged 84, who had
sold a ‘fancy knitted “edge” which
the old lady worked.’
And as the first year of the war came
to a close we learn that the women
of Shipley had provided “nearly
9,000 items of clothing, 2,530 of
them given to Shipley men who
enlisted.
“In the past week they had sent a
large parcel to one of the base
hospitals in France.
Sewing meetings
“Ladies attend in the Saltaire
Institute on Monday afternoons from
3 to 5 to receive gifts of materials or
garments, whilst sewing meetings
are held fortnightly in the Social
Room.”
Most of the sewing was done by
volunteers but the women had also
raised funds to provide sewing work
for women who were in need of a
job and had paid out £50 15s 10d in
wages.
“The committee have received in
subscriptions up to date £169 14s 9d
and have expended £165 19s 10d
leaving a balance of £3 14s 11d.
“Material was given in the value of
about £70 and various working
parties contributed 2,870 garments.”
Meanwhile, Mrs R Butterworth of
Apperley Bridge, had collected over
a thousand cigarettes for wounded
soldiers at Rawdon Convalescent
Home.
Women ‘do their bit’ using their domestic skills
