Women Gallery

Women workers in the Permanent Way Dept at Reading, 1943

Three ladies from the Permanent Way Department are pictured here at Reading in April 1943 off-loading wooden blocks from a wagon. This photograph is an official Company image, with GWR Chief Engineers Office, Aldermaston. Photographic Department stamped on the reverse. The photo may have been taken to show the work of women during the war, but equally it might have been taken to show joint working between the GWR and LMS whose wagon features in the image. Inter-railway working between the railway companies was actively encouraged by the Government during the war as a means of maintaining an efficient and economic rail service, so staff and rolling stock worked across the different networks in a way that had not been seen previously

The Goods Yard at Cardiff Docks in 1943

The Goods Yard at Cardiff Docks in September 1943 is the subject of this image featuring a group of ladies stacking boxes that have probably just been off-loaded from a goods train. Staff shortages at docks at the beginning of the war led to changes in the terms of employment for dock workers with staff being transferred from casual to permanent contracts with guaranteed work and a minimum wage. This made the job more appealing and ensured a more reliable labour-force in what was a crucial industry for the war effort. By the time this photograph was taken in 1943 over 100 women were employed in a variety of roles at Cardiff Docks