At the time of the First World War, most women were barred from voting or serving in military combat roles. Many saw the war as an opportunity to not only serve their countries but to gain more rights and independence.
With millions of men away from home, women filled manufacturing and agricultural positions on the home front. Others provided support on the front lines as nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, translators and, in rare cases, on the battlefield.
A set of amazing photos from UBC Library Digitization Centre that shows British women’s work during the First World War.
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| British woman winding cotton from spools on to rollers at lace factory in Nottingham |
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| British women aeroplane workers near Birmingham welding frame tugs for planes |
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| British women cleaning locomotive in Midlands |
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| British women glass workers in a factory in Lancashire - Plaster house workers |
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| British women glass workers |
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| British women in glass factory cutting shop near Birmingham |
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| British women moulding and finishing stoneware taps at terra cotta works in Leicestershire |
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| British women working in lace factory in Nottingham |
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| British women working in tannery in Nottingham |
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| General view of brass fittings shop |
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| Girl operating stitching machine in Leicestershire boot factory |
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| Mechanic |
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| Mine net workers wiring the floats together |
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| Railway workers cleaning carriages |
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| Railway workers unloading goods from train |
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| The royal tour in the North Eastern countries - The King chatting to some of the munitions girls |
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| W.R.N.S. fitting a mine |
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| W.R.N.S. instructor at respirator and mask drill for military recruits |
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| With the British Navy in wartime - Working a machine to extract the metal from the rubbish |
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| Women acting as helper at punching and shearing machine |
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| Women cleaning windows |
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| Women engaged in labouring work in dressing shop |
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| Women loading nitrate of soda into a skip |
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| Women testing a mine with air presssure |
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| Workers preparing for the construction of concrete ships |