The Canary Girls

The so-called “Canary girls” were British women who worked through the First World War to make trinitrotoluene (TNT) shells. The nickname was given to them as repeated exposure to the substances they used turned their skin the colour of a canary.

Hundreds of the women became ill from the conditions they worked in, with one hundred fatalities reported.

The image below is of women in Nottinghamshire in July, 1917.

Female munitions workers guide 6 inch howitzer shells being lowered to the floor at the Chilwell ammunition factory in Nottinghamshire, UK. July 1917.

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4 thoughts on “The Canary Girls

  1. simonjkyte says:

    My great grandfather was a canary man – but that was a different thing – he took a bird in a cage down the mine

  2. […] War munitions factory that had been in operation since 1915. The factory was known for its “Canary girls“, women shell […]

  3. […] became known for its “Canary girls“, women who worked in dangerous conditions constructing TNT shells for the British military. […]

  4. […] became known for its “Canary girls“, women who worked in dangerous conditions constructing TNT shells for the British military. […]

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