South Yorkshire Timmes, July 1st 1944
Members Of The First Unit Of Women Forge Workers At The Kilnhurst Works Of Baker And Bessemer Ltd.
Three years ago, the first unit of women forge workers at the Kilnhurst Works of Messrs. Baker and Bessemer Ltd., was formed. That unit comprises 14 women who have worked together as a team for over a year. Some were members of the original unit. They have forged in one shift the record output of 878 forgings, in another 1,214 other forgings.
Eight of the women who form the unit are married. Some have sons in the Forces and most have families. The youngest member of the unit is 20. They are doing the same type of work as the me, handling forgings weighing as much as 431bs., but only require the assistance of a furnaceman, performing themselves the various stages of forging, from lifting the billets from the furnace to the final pressing. Like the men they work three shifts.
Mrs. H. J. Nicholls, of Kilnhurst the chargehand, is a member of the original unit and worked for over two years in the same shop in the last war. Her three sons are in the Forces abroad, of her two daughters, one is in the Women’s Land Army and the other is a nurse. Kathleen Jenkins, of Mexborough, lifts the hot billets from the furnace. Her father is serving in Burma. Florence Hallett’s fiancé is with the C. M. F. She carries the forging from one press punch to another, the presses being driven by another Mexborough girl, Florence Thornton, and Mrs Esther Owrid of Piccadilly.
One of the women who stamp and carry away the hot forgings, Mrs. Nellie Waterson of Swinton, has a son in the Forces. The other two are Mrs. Monica Hill (Mexborough) and Mrs. Lily Grint (Roman Terrace), Myra Pearson (Kilnhurst), who scales the billet and passes it to the first hand, Doris Marshall (Piccadilly), Mrs. Marion Parkin (Sandhill), who cools the press punches, Mrs. Lily Stanley (Piccadilly), who cleans the dies, Mrs. Olive Mahoney (Swinton), who is the second hand and Florence Dyas (Mexborough) who, with furnaceman George Hives, charges the furnace, complete this team of women stalwarts of industry. In the picture they are seen with Mr. R. Hughes, the shop foreman.