Very little has been written about the remarkable women who, like Polly, Rosie, Gloria, Dorothy, Angie, Martha and Hannah, worked in the shipyards during World War II.
There has never been any kind of commemoration, or indeed any praise, given to the seven hundred women who carried out such perilous work in such harsh conditions in the Sunderland shipyards – or, for that matter, to the women who worked in other shipyards in the North East.
These women, who not only needed to work but also wanted to be a part of the war effort, often worked seven days a week to repair and build the ships desperately needed to win the war.
Without the shipyards, the country would have been forced to surrender, as the cargo vessels being built were essential for the transportation of vital food, fuel and minerals – and, of course, troops.
It is therefore not surprising that Sunderland – then the biggest shipbuilding town in the world, which produced a quarter of Britain’s merchant shipping at the time – was also one of the most heavily bombed towns during the war.
The women shipbuilders, many of whom had young families at home, were not only carrying out dangerous and back-breaking work, but they were also doing so under the constant threat of Hitler’s Luftwaffe.
I hope the Shipyard Girls series will continue to keep the memory alive of those brave and inspirational women who played such an important role in such a crucial period of our history.