The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-11-20
Women Working At
Heaviest Jobs In
London For Cos Co.
"LddY Gas Men" Become
The Rule Under Stress
Of War

NJ wv
Most unusual in the annals Of
career women" is the development
in London forced by the stresses OF
war. They have become "lady gas
men," reading meters, doing mainten.
ance work on gas appliances, laying
brick, fitting pipe, running paint puri.
fiers and doing a dozen other "dis.
agreeable" mems jobs.
This is brought out in letter from
Michael Milne Watson, London, Eng.
land, an executive Of the British Gas
Light & Coke Co., air-mailed to al
American friend, Davis M. DeBard
vice president of the Stone & Webster
Service Corporation, New York City.
The letter, in part, follows:
"The London gas companies are
calling for women workers to replace
men on active service. Dozens are al
ready employed but many more are
needed.
"Many who have never before
worked outside their own homes are
now busy in retort houses-and tax
ing their turn on night shift, even
though this means working through
raids. This is no mean test of cour-
age in view Of the many air attacks
on gas works. The women are acting
also as bricklayers' or filters labor
ers; they load oxide, paint purifiers
and do a dozen other mansized jobs
"Women are busy too on district
work. They read meters, collect pen
neis and silver from automatic
meters, and undertake maintenance
work on cookers, fires, water heaters
etc AS a rule housewives express
surprise when the women first ap-
pear. Lady gas men now, | see; but
they receive the women kindly and
the job over, cup of tea is often Of
fered. In most cases the woman gas
workers children are evacuated anc
her husband has joined the forces sc
she is free to do war work.
"Mrs. Lucas, who has seven chill
dren, six Of them evacuated, anc
whose husband is in the air force, is
a bricklayer's laborer. Her work is tc
clean and hand the bricks and mix the
cement. Mrs. Parry, mother Of sev-
eral grown-up children, one Of then
now in the Welsh Guards, followed
her husband from Wales when his
coal pit closed and he took a job al
London gas works. She is now q
laborer in the electricians shop at the
same works as her husband. Mrs
Parry was an experiment but provcC
such success that this particular
company has now taken on many
more women.
"Barmaids, dippers Of fancy cakes
mattresses, dressmakers, and shol
girls, are others who feel they car
do a better job, for the duration, il
replacing a gas man on active service
than in carrying on with their norma
work. For some occupations the WON
en- obviously have to be tough-o1
three in a retort house one used to bt
a cook, so does not mind the heat, ant
two others are country bred and have
but requires less physical effort. Sucl
jobs as testing gas meters, soldering
etc, are being done most efficiently
by women and they are releasing lad!
under military age for service in air
craft factories But it is surprising
how all the women, many of then
young and delicate looking, are tack
ling the unaccustomed work Most o1
them say they have never felt so wei
in their lives.
"On the works the women wear blue
two-piece overalls and cap whicl
would cover their hair, if the womeI
were willing to wear them that way
But the desire to please does not die
with war work and an alluring curl OF
to is allowed to peep out at the sides
even if this means extra hair sham
poos. Meter collectors wear navy blue
slacks, jacket and jaunty red pipec
caps. Mrs. Marie Carter, one of the
first women to reach mans STANDARD
she puts her slacks under the mat
tress every night to keep the creaSeS
crisp. She probably learned this til
from her husband who is now in the
navy. The navy is particular about
it's trousers.
"Meter readers wear skirts and Sc
do the women on maintenance work
those who go round examining cook.
ers, gas fires, etc. The maintenance
workers are often rather older anc
they prefer skirt. Since clothes
ratloning, however, the stocking prob,
lem is giving them headache Wher
you have to kncel to examine cooke,
or fire it is hard on stockings anc
each pair costs two coupons. Some
solution, perhaps a stocking rolled be
fore the knee, will have to be found.
~~~~r~~>~>~~~~~~~~--~-~~---->