Leeds Factory Where 35 Women Died in WW1 Explosion Given Heritage Protection

Monday, 10 October 2016 10:22

The former First World War National Filling Factory in Barnbow, Leeds where 16,000 women were employed producing high-explosive shells has been protected as a scheduled monument by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.

Three separate explosions happened at the Barnbow Munitions factory at Crossgates, Leeds, the most serious on 5 December 1916. Thirty five women were killed and many more seriously injured by a blast in one of the shell fusing rooms. It was the first major loss of female civilian workers during the war and the worst disaster resulting in loss of life in Leeds' history. A further two were killed on 21 March 1917 and three men lost their lives in a blast on 31 March 1918.

Although the 1916 explosion was heard for miles around, the deaths of the women were not reported for fear of denting national morale and the recruitment of women. Even after the war the explosions remained largely unacknowledged. The women later became known as the 'Barnbow lasses' and have come to represent the Home Front contribution and the role women played in the war.

It has now been protected as a scheduled monument by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said:" The death of the Barnbow lasses not only resonates today for the tragic loss of life but also represents the significant role played by women in winning the War. This led to a major national change in the perception of women at work. Barnbow is particularly poignant as the site of the worst disaster for loss of life in Leeds' history and it is thanks to the local community that the memory of these remarkable women and their extraordinary courage has been kept alive.”

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