Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Group of workers employed during the First World War to unload railway trucks of pig iron at Pontardawe steelworks owned by William Gilbertson & Co Ltd. Large numbers of men working in industry volunteered to join the Forces, resulting in labour shortages in vital industries. Women entered industry in unprecedented numbers to redress the labour shortage and made a vital contribution to the war effort. This photograph was taken in the pig iron sidings adjacent to the melting shop. The steel sheet in the foreground has the chalked inscription “Munition Workers at Messrs Gilberston [sic] Pontardawe, King and Country”. The manufacturers’ inscription “Trent” have been chalked in on two pigs: the Trent Iron Works at Scunthorpe was owned at this time by the Trent Iron Co. Ltd. It is not known whether Pontardawe Steel Works used Trent pig as a raw material prior to or after the war – it may have been a war time-only supplier due to disruption of normal supplies. Each pig weighed around 50kgs – unloading and stacking pig was hard and unglamorous work. During the war, Pontardawe Works continued to produce its regular grades of steel for making tinplate and galvanised sheets, as well as turning to producing special steels for making artillery shells. The identities of two of the group are known. At bottom right is Annie Davies of Penparc, Rhos, and back left is Jack Williams.

Caption from page 35 of "Around Pontardawe The Second Selection", 1999 - Munition workers at W. Gilbertson & Co., Pontardawe, during the First World War. Pig iron marked 'Trent' had been brought to the Pontardawe steelworks from the Trent Iron Company in Lincolnshire to be mixed or blended with Gilbertson's iron to produce a steel suitable for munitions. The steel would be rolled into round bars which were then delivered to the munition factories for the production of shells. Large numbers of men volunteered to fight in the armed forces (278 from Gilbertson's alone during the First World War) resulting in a shortage of labour in the heavy industries which necessitated the employment of women. Annie Davies (Penparc, Rhos) is at bottom right, with Jack Williams top left.