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The Invisible Workforce of the First World War: an Examination of Female Woollen Workers and Their Community in Huddersfield and the Colne Valley

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The Invisible Workforce of the First World War: an Examination of Female Woollen Workers and Their Community in Huddersfield and the Colne Valley University of Huddersfield Repository Ledgard, Gail The Invisible Workforce of the First World War: An Examination of Female Woollen Workers and Their Community in Huddersfield and the Colne Valley Original Citation Ledgard, Gail (2018) The Invisible Workforce of the First World War: An Examination of Female Woollen Workers and Their Community in Huddersfield and the Colne Valley. Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/35152/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ THE INVISIBLE WORKFORCE OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR An Examination of Female Woollen Workers and Their Community in Huddersfield and the Colne Valley GAIL LEDGARD A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. June 2018 Abstract This thesis examines the neglected wartime history of woollen textiles in Huddersfield and the Colne Valley, and women’s crucial role in maintaining output. The historiography of female participation in the Great War has concentrated on women entering previously male-dominated work for the first time or women experiencing a brief freedom before returning to the cage of domesticity. These alternative interpretations ignore many aspects of the actuality of women’s lives in industries which already had a large female workforce. Moreover, the historiography of textiles has tended to focus on cotton - the biggest textile industry - and the one most impacted by the war. Yet woollens formed an essential part of the wartime economy, providing uniforms and equipment for the British and Allied armed forces and was traditionally one of the largest areas of female employment. During the war the trade suffered a lack of official interest, public indifference and obstructive policies. Women in textiles were neglected as attention focused on munitions and the adherence to ‘business as usual’ which drained resources of labour and capital from the mills of the West Riding at a time of increased workload and worsening living conditions. In looking at trade unions, housing, leisure, work practices, pay and conditions, and the organization of the wider community, this thesis argues that women cannot be reduced to a single category and that textiles was a much more variegated picture than previously suggested: the view is much more nuanced than either historiography has allowed. Women in the woollen textile industry maintained output despite official policy rather than because of it. This thesis examines how this was achieved and investigates the impact of the influx of working women into the town on existing local gender, social and economic relations. Historians of women’s work in the war have addressed the question of skill in industry (usually in industries where women had no previous role) and whether and how women took on new, more highly skilled roles. This thesis is attentive to the question of skill in the textile industry, and examines the intricate way in which this was culturally determined and highly gendered – and the complicated balancing act attempted by the unions who tried to recruit extra women whilst also maintaining the hierarchies of status in this sector. In the woolen industry of Huddersfield and the Colne Valley, women played a valuable part in wartime production and by examining how, despite their increased importance, their status within the industry changed little, this thesis provides a significant contribution to the picture of women’s work during the Great War. 1 Copyright Statement i. The author of this thesis (including any appendices and/ or schedules to this thesis) owns any copyright in it (the “Copyright”) and s/he has given The University of Huddersfield the right to use such Copyright for any administrative, promotional, educational and/or teaching purposes. ii. Copies of this thesis, either in full or in extracts, may be made only in accordance with the regulations of the University Library. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. iii. The ownership of any patents, designs, trademarks and any and all other intellectual property rights except for the Copyright (the “Intellectual Property Rights”) and any reproductions of copyright works, for example graphs and tables (“Reproductions”), which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property Rights and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property Rights and/or Reproductions. 2 Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Copyright Statement ............................................................................................................................... 2 Glossary of Textile Terms ........................................................................................................................ 5 Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Map ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One – Introduction .................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter Two – The Textile Industry ...................................................................................................... 26 Chapter Three – Government Control .................................................................................................. 35 Wool Control ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Manpower ......................................................................................................................................... 41 State Control ..................................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter Four – The Production of Cloth and the Question of Skill ...................................................... 51 The Demand For Khaki ...................................................................................................................... 54 Alternative Workers Needed ............................................................................................................ 60 Reserved Occupations and Military Tribunals .................................................................................. 69 Chapter Five – Wages and Bonuses ...................................................................................................... 77 Rising Prices and Overtime Pay ......................................................................................................... 79 War Bonus ......................................................................................................................................... 81 Increased Unrest and Threats of Notice ........................................................................................... 85 Chapter Six – Hours and Conditions...................................................................................................... 91 Overtime ........................................................................................................................................... 93 Nightwork ....................................................................................................................................... 100 Holidays ........................................................................................................................................... 102 Health Concerns .............................................................................................................................. 104 Chapter Seven – Charity and Welfare ................................................................................................. 111 Distress ............................................................................................................................................ 112 Separation Allowance and Supervision........................................................................................... 116 Welfare ..........................................................................................................................................
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