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Boiler suit from Chilwell munitions works, Nottingham, worn by Alice Gibb

Date made: early 20th century

Description: This overall was worn by Alice Gibb of the Grove, Ramsey, when she worked at Chilwell munitions works, as a supervisor, in 1916. The First World War saw women enter industry in a way that they had never done before. It was not just the numbers of women involved that was new, but also the fact that for the first time, middle class women (like Alice Gibb) were entering the workplace in significant numbers. Without the mass mobilization of women in this way, it is doubtful that Britain would have won the war in 1918; indeed one of the reasons that Germany lost was that she never succeeded in fully mobilizing her female population.

Materials: cotton

Object name: boiler suit

Collection: Costume & Textiles Collection

ID Number: 1976-0535

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