Newport Stories:
Women’s Home Guard
In 1940 Edna Lucas was working in the Welfare Department of the new Number 11 Royal Ordnance Factory in Newport.
This is her story.
We were keen to do everything we could to help the War effort and in the early 1940s Dr Edith Summerskill, the Labour MP for Fulham West, was campaigning for women to be allowed to join the Home Guard.
I wrote to her and following her advice, we formed the women's section of the Local Defence Volunteers in Newport. Half a dozen of us trained with the Territorial Army and their Commanding Officer, Clement Thomas, at the Drill Hall. We had gas attack drill, aircraft recognition and manoeuvres.
The ROF had its own armoury, which included Enfield 303 rifles. We formed a rifle club and practised shooting at targets placed at the end of the corridor. We would lie flat on the ground with the rifle propped against a sand bag. We also learnt how to strip down and reassemble a Lewis gun and a Bren gun. We wanted to be able to defend our country and ourselves when the time came."
- Edna Lucas, October 2004
Read more Newport Stories
