Post Mark/Date

1917 from the style of the photograph.

Addressee

NA

Owner/Publisher/Photographer

Collection of A. Taylor

Broughtons, Lowestoft


Posted Message

NA

Comments

Caption: No Caption

This was sold as a "photo of munitions workers". I investigated the uniforms the women are wearing and the style does fit in with 1917, but I wasn't so sure about "munitions workers" because all four of the women are wearing such new, crisp dresses, along with some rather fancy jewelry. As working-class munitions workers I would expect more wear and tear and certainly no jewelry. Because of the numorous hospitals and convelscent homes in Lowestoft during the Great War, I wondered if they were nurses, but the uniforms don't match well with nurses or military volunteers of the time.

Their clothing does match what a munitions worker would wear and so I conclude that these girls have all dressed up in their newest frocks for the photo, or they have just started working at the factory. All are wearing large sweetheart cameos and two have photograph necklaces. The tallest woman's necklace has the faint photo of a man in a harbour master cap.

The women all look very much alike, especially the two on the left, and could be sisters.

Look at Card L1418, some of the women here are wearing uniforms that are like these.

During the Great War several Lowestoft boat building firms did some contract work for the East Anglian Munitions committee, to include the J. W. Brooke & Co., Ltd. (Brook Marine), J. Chambers Ltd., S. Richards & Co., Ltd., and Torbinia Engineering Co., Ltd. [citation]