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WW1 woman in uniform

G

GeoffCaulton

Brummie babby
I am a visitor to your group.
I have a very large private collection of studio portraits. I have portrait of just about every women's uniformed group but do not recognise this one. (She is not a relative)
The portrait by a Birmingham photographer shows a woman in uniform. She has a crowned badge on her lapel but it has been caught by the light. A crowned badge is usually a symbol of authority. Her buttons are plain.

Her hat badge HMF has me puzzled sometimes I think His Majesties F>something other times I think H>something Munitions Factory ?

I read the reverse pencil writing possibly as: Aunty F Lovell ? and the Address on the right as Possibly “Lynton” 7 , Green St , Smethwick.

I consider myself pretty good on the subject of WW1 photos but this has me baffled.

I suspect she may be a few things but I lack Birmingham knowledge.

To my eternal shame, I have only been to Birmingham once (in 1964).

It needs Birmingham History Forum to solve this one.
 

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I can't help with this one but wonder if you could shed any light on this WW2 uniform which was discussed at length a while ago without coming to any conclusions!

1644928953868.png

See:

Women’s Timber Corps “Lumber Jills”

Edit: There’s a separate thread about the Women’s Land Army here: https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/women%E2%80%99s-land-army.45998/ The harsh life of a 'lumberjill' just found this on the bbc website. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7212310.stm lumberjills can now...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk

​

 
7 Green Street still exists - I was hoping it still had the name in glass over the door - some houses on the opposite side still dobut it is a bot dark to see.
1644933288089.png
 
My guess would be that she was a factory guard/police officer. That might be a role that could extend well beyond the factory. The public houses for miles around Carlisle, for instance, were under state control, going back to the WW1 munitions factories wanting to keep their workers 'dry'.
 
Looking at a couple of sites with military abbreviations MHF does not seem to appear. Munitions may well be the lead…
 
It looks as though everything is leaning towards her being a Policewoman at a Munitions factory.
If her hat badge is His Majesties Factory and the collar badge is the Munitions Police I have seen on this Forum I am as sure as I can be. From my knowledge of the first WPCs most of the problems were around who was going to pay them.
She looks well heeled and may well be a contender for one of the first Birmingham WPCs.
 
jukebox said:
I can't help with this one but wonder if you could shed any light on this WW2 uniform which was discussed at length a while ago without coming to any conclusions!

View attachment 167439

See:

Women’s Timber Corps “Lumber Jills”

Edit: There’s a separate thread about the Women’s Land Army here: https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/women%E2%80%99s-land-army.45998/ The harsh life of a 'lumberjill' just found this on the bbc website. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7212310.stm lumberjills can now...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk

​

Click to expand...
There is an answer on the original thread
 
I am a new boy on your forum and impressed by the help you all have given me. I have never been on any Forum of any kind before and got lost amid the messages images and trophies. I am sure I did not reply to some posts. Some posts I sent the wrong reply to. I have been sent some lovely press cuttings and suggestions. All replies steer me in the right direction.I may not appear to have acknowledged every body but that was not what I intended.
Geoff
 
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