Learning from novels
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (323748)
Rockingham, Australia
May 18, 2022 7:58pm CST
I’ve just finished reading a book called The Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell. It’s about women in Sunderland, which is in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. During World War II, and to a lesser extent during World War I, women were employed in a number of roles that had once been the domain of men.
The shipyards in Sunderland on the mouth of the River Wear was one area where women were called in to help the war effort. With most able-bodied men away fighting on the various fronts, women began doing the back-breaking and sometimes dangerous jobs that had once been done only by men.
The history notes in the back of the book say that 700 women worked in the shipyards as welders, rivetters, crane-drivers; in fact, whatever needed doing, the women did it. At the time, Sunderland was touted as the ‘Biggest Shipbuilding Town in the World’ and produced a quarter of Britain’s merchant shipping at the time. Their output was vital to Britain’s war effort. Because of its importance, Sunderland also became one of the most heavily bombed towns of the war.
Nowadays, there is less gender division in the trades but, at the time, these women were going into new territory. I enjoy books based on historical fact.
The photo was taken by me in Youghal, Ireland. When the tide goes out, the boats are left high and dry.
10 people like this
10 responses
@ptrikha_2 (45331)
• India
19 May 22
So "The Shipyard Girls" is a fictional book?
I think I can go for this book after some time.
I heard the mention of Sunderland in a BBC series on WWII that I saw recently.
Quite an interesting share!
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@ptrikha_2 (45331)
• India
20 May 22
@JudyEv
Still something that can be be read with interest!
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@ptrikha_2 (45331)
• India
21 May 22
@JudyEv
Yet a Netflix series on WWII is a great way of arousing interest in happenings and events related to WWII.
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@Marilynda1225 (79232)
• United States
21 May 22
That's a very interesting picture seeing the boats high and dry when the tide goes out.
Also interesting hearing about the book you just finished and how women worked in the shipyards and learned the jobs that men had done.
It's funny to think back to a time when only men did certain jobs and now it's become more common to see a woman doing those same jobs.
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@JudyEv (323748)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 May 22
Jobs were certainly divided into those for men and those for women. Thankfully a lot of that has passed.
@yoalldudes (35042)
• Philippines
19 May 22
I feel the same way about novels; I learn more about life from them than self help books.
I hope we never get to experience what they have gone through, war is an abomination.
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@JudyEv (323748)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 May 22
The characters in the book go through many of life's problems and you do learn from them.
@snowy22315 (168439)
• United States
19 May 22
Gee, that is weird, I have never seen boats just sitting in the mud like that. The novel sounds interesting too. In WWII we had Rosie the Riveters.
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@JudyEv (323748)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 May 22
Same work I guess. The women really stepped up at the time, didn't they? Nowadays there isn't quite as much discrimination when it comes to careers.
@Morleyhunt (21602)
• Canada
19 May 22
One of my all time favourite novels is based on a true story. I read it as a teenager and have reread it many time.
I still enjoy the book
Mrs Mike, by Nancy and Benedict Freedman
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@LindaOHio (153180)
• United States
19 May 22
Interesting photo. Thanks for the book review. I enjoy true stories as well.
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