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Women War Workers Procession


Darlington, 12 October 1918


From: 12 October 1918

Civil Parish: Darlington

The need for more women to join the war effort was increasing by 1918. Women were filling the men’s jobs at home, but as the war went on women were needed to join military services to release men in non-combatant roles for front line duties. A public meeting to persuade women to join the services was made in Darlington on 12 October, which culminated in a procession of members of the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps (originally named the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, but changed to the QMAAC in 1918), Women’s Royal Air Force and Women’s Royal Naval Service, as well as munitions workers. Each band of women was headed by their own banner. The munitions workers from the Darlington ‘shell shop’ were of course there in quantity, and to go with their display they had a specially decorated North Eastern Railway horse-drawn rulley, tastefully decorated with images of King George V and Queen Mary, and also various shells as produced at the factory.

Source – ‘The North Eastern Railway in the First World War’, Fonthill Media, 2013

Contributed by roblangham, Seaham Harbour