TRAGEDY AT MUNITIONS WORKS
35 Killed in explosion
The above is taken from an article published in the Yorkshire
Evening Post on Saturday 20th April 2002, which we know to be accurate.
The worst tragedy that Leeds ever knew - in terms of people killed - never
made the headlines. For the dreadful explosion that killed 35 women and
girls occurred at the Barnbow Munitions factory, Crossgates, in the First
World War. It was not until six years after the war that the public were
told the bare facts for the first time. Most of the workers were women,
drawn from a twenty-mile radius. The majority came from Leeds, but York,
Selby, Harrogate, Wakefield, Tadcaster and Wetherby all provided a big
quota.
In 1914, when volunteer workers were wanted for the sprawling factory
set in countryside, over 130,000 applied for jobs. Some 16,000 were engaged
at 28s per week. When a bonus scheme was put into production, the output
of shells trebled and the girls handling the explosives were often taking
between £10 and £12 home- big money in those days.
Barnbow was a city within a city. It had its own railway station with
an 850ft platform, and at the height of its operations, 38 special trains
brought workers in for the three round the clock shifts, beside 15 ordinary
trains.
Working conditions were barely tolerable, because of the necessary restrictions.
Workers actually employed in handling explosives had to strip to their
underwear and don buttonless smocks and caps. No hairpins were allowed,
no combs, and certainly no cigarettes or matches. All had to wear rubber
soled shoes. They worked eight hours a day six days a week, and twelve
hours on Sunday, with one Sunday off every three weeks. There were no
holidays as such. Food rationing was severe but because of the nature
of their work the employees were allowed to drink as much milk and barley
water as they wished. Barnbow factory had its own farm, with 120 cows
producing 300 gallons a day.
At 10.15pm on Tuesday December 5th 1916, several hundred girls and women
had just begun their night shift. Their task consisted of filling, fuzing,
finishing off and packing 4.5in shells. Room 42 was mainly concerned with
the filling and between 150 and 170 girls worked there. Shells were brought
to the room already loaded with high explosive and the work that remained
to be done was the insertion of the fuse and the screwing down of the
cap. A girl put in the fuse by hand, screwed it down and then it was taken
and placed into a machine that revolved the shell and screwed the fuse
down tightly. This was what was happening in room 42 that fateful December
night.
At about 10.27pm a violent explosion occurred killing 35 women and injuring
many more. In many cases, identification was possible only by the identity
disks worn by the workers. Most were dreadfully mutilated. Machine 2,
where the explosion had occurred was completely wrecked. Steam pipes burst
open and the floor was a mixture of blood and water. Ignoring the dangers,
men and women alike hurried into room 42 to drag the injured to safety.
Mr William Parkin, a mechanic, performed heroic deeds. So much so that
the girls of the Northern Shell Stores at Barnbow later presented him
with an inscribed silver watch for his bravery in bringing out about a
dozen girls.
Within a few hours of the explosion, bodies having been taken out, girls
were volunteering to work in the same room and production was only briefly
halted. The bravery of the girls was even noted in a special order of
the day issued from British Headquarters in France by Commander-in-Chief,
Sir Douglas Haig, " to illustrate the spirit animating British women
who are working with us for the common cause".
The order went on: "In spite of the explosion, the work was carried
on without interruption and the remainder displayed great coolness and
discipline in dealing with the emergency." Many of the injured girls
were later taken for a period of convalescence at Weetwood Grange, which
had been leased for such a purpose, by Barnbow from the works Comfort
Fund.
Yet, though rumour and counter-rumour ran through Yorkshire about the
explosion, not one word appeared in the newspapers about it because of
wartime restrictions. The only clue to a tragedy having happened was in
the death notices in the Yorkshire Evening Post saying, " killed
by accident".
There were two further explosions, one in March 1917, killing two girl
workers and another in May 1918, killing three men. Barnbow was Britain's
Premier shell factory and between 1914 and 1918 a total of 566,000 tons
of finished ammunition was despatched overseas. Production ceased with
the armistice.