A few years ago, Nancy Evans, resident of Hereford, agreed to share some of her experiences of wartime factory work in the 1940s. She was one of the many women who worked in the munitions factory in Rotherwas, on the outskirts of Hereford. These women were often called “the canary girls” as their skin would turn a shade of yellow due to the chemicals involved in their wartime work. The munition factory was used in both world wars.
We have posted these films as we so enjoyed Nancy’s company and hope you find her stories as engaging as we did. Head to our sister website, Herefordshire Through A Lens, to watch all of Nancy’s clips: https://www.herefordshirelifethroughalens.org.uk/canary-girls/
Catcher Media were commissioned by Herefordshire Council, and our task was to create a multi-media educational package to augment Rotherwas ROF activities at Herefordshire Archives and Records Centre. Interviews, archive photographs, audio and interpretation were made accessible on a large touch-screen television. The screen was used by numerous school groups and formed part of the final exhibition. One of the many activities of Rotherwas ROF project was to present the remaining “Canary Girls” with a medal in honour of the dangerous work they did in the war.