Description
Object description
British civilian housemaid and munitions worker at Woolwich Arsenal, London, GB, 1914-1918. Civilian worked at Woolwich Arsenal, London and seaman served with Royal Navy in GB and English Channel, 1914-1918
Content description
REEL 1 Lily Truphet: Recollections of period as housemaid and munitions worker at Woolwich Arsenal, London, GB, 1914-1918: character of employment as housemaid; duties; relations with employer; rationing; time off; reasons for obtaining work at Woolwich Arsenal; work filling bullets; use of knurling machines.
REEL 2 Continues: dismantling cartridges at end of the war; sucking on cordite; working conditions, hours and shifts; meeting with husband; air raids and sight of Zeppelin being shot down on Plumstead Common; attitude towards Germans; breaks during working hours; shortage of sugar and milk.
REEL 3 Continues: pay and expenses; lack of social life; working environment; lunchtime concert parties; social security money; work after leaving Woolwich Arsenal; state of Mrs Rennles skin and health after working in danger zone; procedure for entering danger zone.
REEL 4 Continues: comparison between working at Woolwich Arsenal to domestic service. George Truphet: Recollections of period as munitions worker at Woolwich Arsenal, London, GB from 1914: engineering apprenticeship; invention for producing machine-gun clips; reasons for joining Royal Navy; pay and bonuses; means of ensuring standard production.
REEL 5 Continues: Lily and George Truphet: working conditions; reaction to receiving white feathers; first aid facilities; memories of Silvertown Explosion, 19/1/1917; reactions to testing of guns and explosions at Woolwich Arsenal; Zeppelin bombing of Woolwich Arsenal.
REEL 6 Continues: air raids; lack of women supervisors; procedure for entering 'Danger Buildings'. George Truphet: Aspects of period as seaman with Royal Navy during First World War: contact with wife by mail; drafting to minesweepers at Dover; attitude to serving on minesweeper; shooting at mine on surface; story of discovery of new mine.
REEL 7 Continues: blowing up of his minesweeper by mine; recovery from wounds in Chatham; duties as caterer in artificers mess at Royal Naval Barracks, HMS Pembroke, Chatham; demobilisation without pension.