Canary Girls Forgotten Heroines of WW1 and WW2 – Valerie Welty

The “Canary Girls” were women who worked in munition factories during World War I and World War II, earning their name because toxic chemicals like TNT and cordite caused chemical jaundice, turning the workers’ skin and hair yellow.

The sacrifice of soldiers killed during World Wars One and Two is well-documented, but the efforts of munitions workers stained yellow by toxic chemicals is a story much less told.  A campaign now hopes to honour the so-called Canary Girls, who risked life and limb to supply ammunition to the frontline and there are plans to unveil a statue at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.