Celebrating women in history
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Never-before-seen stunning vintage 1940s photos of women at work

  • by Joanna Foat

 

These defiant women found freedom, equality and happiness in the forests

 

Here is the new book of stunning never-before-seen photos of young women at work in Britain’s forests during World War II. The Lumberjills photo book represents more than 15,000 young women who served in the Women’s Timber Corps, providing vital homegrown timber for the war effort. 

 

The Lumberjills photo book shows women clad in dungarees and breeches– unheard of in the 1940s– swinging an axe, and felling giant trees. They drove tractors, lorries and operated dangerous sawmills, as well as calculating the cubic quantity of timber for wartime timber supplies. This was a far cry from domestic service, hairdressing and secretarial jobs they left behind.

 

I've spent the last decade searching for these rare photographs, many hidden away in attics for more than 80 years. Finding a large stash of photos felt like Christmas. Many show women having such fun working out in the forests doing exactly the same jobs as the men. They became physically very strong.

 

The Lumberjills photos are a reminder that despite advances, gender discrimination remains in many jobs today. According to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, just 1% of skilled trades in the UK including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers and lorry drivers were carried out by women. Conversely 96% of childcare, 85% of hairdressing, 77% of healthcare and nursing, and 70% of teaching and administration roles were held by women. 

 

Sadly these figures echo the 1940s biases around "men’s work" and "women’s work". An article in The Western Morning News in January 1940 said of the women ‘it was not intended they should take the place of skilled men.’ Today we still need greater investment to encourage more women into these sectors.”

 

The stunning photos in The Lumberjills photo book provide evidence of what women have achieved in the past. I hope the Lumberjills will inspire young women to explore unconventional career paths today, challenging gender norms and encouraging them to embrace their full potential. Many of the Lumberjills were promoted to supervisors and put in charge of whole forestry operations, including large teams of men. 

 

The Lumberjills photo collection helps us to imagine a world where there is equality in career choice, where women are regarded as equal to men in all jobs and skilled trades. We can look to the Lumberjills as a shining example of what women could achieve in male dominated industries and sectors if given more freedom of choice, opportunity and greater representation.

 

The Lumberjills photo book is published by Merrow Downs Press.