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Civilians Called up for war work

R

Ron Rogers

master brummie
My Mother Annie (Nancy) Robson Rogers was called up for war work in 1941 (?) and worked in a munitions factory in birmingham . At the time Mum lived at 124 Cato Street. Unfortunaley Mum cannot remember many details of of these years,but can remember walking to work and was a machinist making bomb parts. She also remembers that the factory was bombed one night and she and the other workers were moved to another factory to work.
Is there any way to find the record for Mums Wartime Work.
I have Mums National Registration Identity Card FCB1-267:3 if that is of any help

Many thanks

Ron
 
I wouldn't know how to find these records,but someone will I'm sure.:)
However,what I would say is be proud of your mom,these women were the backbone of the "home front".
Working in factories by day and bombed by night,they have always deserved more recognition for their efforts and contribution,than they ever recieved.:)
 
The largest factory doing munitions work in this area and within walking distance would have been Metro Cammell located in Saltley. Dek
 
Ron sorry I havn,t much imfo I lived not far from Cato St. If you type Metro Cammell into the search box (top r/h corner) click on the symbol to the right you should get some more imfo. Dek
 
Ron Rogers said:
My Mother Annie (Nancy) Robson Rogers was called up for war work in 1941 (?) and worked in a munitions factory in birmingham . At the time Mum lived at 124 Cato Street. Unfortunaley Mum cannot remember many details of of these years,but can remember walking to work and was a machinist making bomb parts. She also remembers that the factory was bombed one night and she and the other workers were moved to another factory to work.
Is there any way to find the record for Mums Wartime Work.
I have Mums National Registration Identity Card FCB1-267:3 if that is of any help

Many thanks

Ron
Click to expand...
Hi Ron, I left school at Easter 1944, aged 14, the following Monday I had a letter from
the Labour Exchange ordering me to sign on, and was sent to work at the Rover factory in
Kings Road, where I stayed til VJ day, during the war there were regulations to cover everything,
Good luck with your search, Bernard
 
Morning Bernard
Thanks for the reply , by 1944 mum had left England for australia as a war bride

Regards

Ron
 
Morning Dek
Thanks for the reply and info i clicked on the link but most of the infor at this stage is post war

regards Ron
 
Hi Ron
As your mom lived in Cato Street, one factory that was very near there was Newtons factory in Thimblemill Lane and it did get bombed in April 1941, There is some info about that night on this link and some info to give you some insight into what life must have been like in the area at that time.

https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences38Astaffshg.htm

https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences38staffshg.htm

Although the link says Staffs home guard the webiste has a great deal of information about other locations.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/categories/c1111/ this is additional info and stories from people who lived in Birmingham during WW2
Louisa
 
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Ron Rogers said:
My Mother Annie (Nancy) Robson Rogers was called up for war work in 1941 (?) and worked in a munitions factory in birmingham . At the time Mum lived at 124 Cato Street. Unfortunaley Mum cannot remember many details of of these years,but can remember walking to work and was a machinist making bomb parts. She also remembers that the factory was bombed one night and she and the other workers were moved to another factory to work.
Is there any way to find the record for Mums Wartime Work.
I have Mums National Registration Identity Card FCB1-267:3 if that is of any help

Many thanks

Ron
Click to expand...


I have said this before, My older Sister was sent to Birmingham to work on Munitions, at Hercules Cycle Factory. She had no choice... I think it was in December 1941, and she was coming home for
Christmas. Family Members told me all this, we lived in the North-east, which was a long way away,
in those days.
I think it was 22/12/1941, when they were working, an incendary (sp.) was dropped. My sister
was very badly burned, and died on the 10th January 1942, aged 22 years.
 
My dad worked as a maintenance electrician for Electric Furnace Company Ltd (Efco) and although he tried to volunteer for the forces he was placed on essential war work. He always reckoned he'd have been safer in the forces, as he was bombed out of Sheffield and Glasgow, when the Luftwaffe went after the steelworks.

Big Gee
 
Ailis how awful is she on the Tree of Life by St Martins a memorial to those who lost their lives in the air raids. I can't imagine what it must have been like in those times although Mom told me stories as did my mother in law.

My Dad was an electrical engineer and his job was to get the machines working again when factories were bombed. He nearly lost his life in Coventry but was saved by a workmate such terrible times.
 
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Louisa said:
Newtons factory in Thimblemill Lane and it did get bombed in April 1941, There is some info about that night on this link and some info to give you some insight .............
Click to expand...

Thanks for the plug, Louisa!!

On that website there are a number of fragments of information about Birmingham factories in the blitz, a large proportion of it generously provided by members of this Forum. There is something about Hercules too, Ailis, if you haven't already seen it. Use the Search function on the Welcome/Index page of the site to find it. The general link is in my signature below.

Chris
 
Before the war, my father was a skilled coachbuilder at the Wolsley factory in Drews Lane, Washwood Heath, working on the top of the range cars where individual bodystyles could be specified by the customer. When war came he was moved to the aircraft production factory at Castle Bromwich to help build the bodyshells of Spitfires and he worked there for the whole of the war period.

The factory and the associated airfield was where Castle Vale is now. It was also a fully functional RAF station
 
I have been looking at the heroic effort of my Grandmother who came from Scotland to Birmingham - the first record is a letter of her being a "Metal Works Machinist" 952 Kingstanding Road, Handsworth. 1941 -age 20yrs.
She was in a Hostel at 276 Monument Rd. Ladywood.
From what I picked up on the internet - there were many Scots women recruited to the cities for munitions work. I haven't worked out which company it was yet - any local knowledge would be good. I've been writing up her 'journey' in life as far at
https://julie-mcneill.blogspot.com
 
Hello Julie looking at the info you have given it,s going to be hard to find where she worked so I can only give you an idea Kingstanding Rd at that time would have been quite country-fied it is a long road I don,t know which end 952 was but I would think she would have to travel into B,ham at Witton which was on the way into town was Kynoch-I.M.I this was a large factory complex which turned it,s efforts to munitions during the war. Dek
 
My oldest sister was 14 in September 1939 and was directed to work on the railways as a porter I think. My mother was up in arms and protested so much "they" relented and she went to work at Hercules with my mother for some time then she was sent to the ICI in Witton. My mother worked at Hercules all through the war and I remember one occasion when they had Workers Playtime there and for some reason I was allowed to see it, all I can recall is a lady dressed in blue singing Alice Blue Gown, I was only 7 years old when the war finished so I was very young.
 
A neighbour of mine said she made stators for Spitfires, she was called up for war work.
She says she used to work for a hardware store in the city centre before this, but this was bombed.
She mentions living by Aston Park where the AA guns were situated.
 
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