Photograph details
Share a story with us - comment on this image »
© Transport for London
Collection of London Transport Museum
Enlarge
Comment on this image
Buy photographic reproduction
A First World War Metropolitan Railway woman fills in a log book.
Unknown photographer, Nov 1916 - 1918
Location: Unknown
Image no: Ukn
Inventory no: 1998/83581
20th Century London caption: This woman, in the uniform of a Metropolitan Railway guard, is filling in what is possibly a logbook in a station ticket office or storeroom. Before the First World War, a woman would not have been considered for this job. However, 16,000 Underground group employees joined the armed forces, and the transport companies needed to replace them. From 1915, women were hired as conductors, clerks and maintenance staff. Jobs such as these gave women the opportunity to contribute to the war effort and gave many a chance to improve their skills and move away from domestic service. Around 40% of women who took up transport jobs were domestic servants before the war.
People
Bookmark this page
Print this page