Mama Was a Boom-Boom Girl

[cutiger83]

Many people learn about the history of the soldier but don’t think about the people at home who supported the war effort. Without the civilians working long hours stateside, the soldiers overseas would have lost the war. These people were injured, killed, and forever changed because of the war but never received a medal such as a purple heart. They never got VA benefits. They quietly served their country in so many ways. I never knew about the extreme danger and health issues of the people who worked in ammunition plants.

 

The following is an excerpt from an article in the magazine, America in WWII. The article is “Mama was a Boom-Boom Girl” by Barbara Ayers.

 

Explosions and injuries were common at munitions plants, and Triumph had more accidents than any other. The worst happened in May 1943, killing 15 and injuring 64. Those victims were war casualties who didn’t get medals for heroism. More than once my mother was blown across the floor by a blast – at least two times out a window. She required medical treatment not due to any of those “incidents”, as the company called them, but due to gunpowder poisoning. Her skin acquired a gray-green cast and she lost all her teeth. For months, she was given other work to do until the powder she’d inhaled was flushed from her system.

 

Though workers didn’t get medals, the government did give awards to companies. Those with high production levels received special pennants to fly at their buildings and special pins to give to their employees – public symbols of success that promoted fierce competition among companies. When the pressure was on to reach a production goal, my mother often worked back to back shifts, going days without sleep. Triple shifts were the norm, adding worker exhaustion to an already perilous environment.

 

 

[gwb123]

It is truly an untold story.

 

I am not sure if you are aware of this English series, but you might enjoy it:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_Girls

 

Bomb Girls is a Canadian television drama that debuted on January 4, 2012 on Global.^[1] The plot profiles the stories of four women working in a Canadian munitions factory during World War II, beginning in 1941.

[Ches-Gen-4]

You are oh so right. There is an interesting TV series on Netflix called "Bomb Girls" that somewhat loosely illustrates what these women went through in their daily lives to make munitions. Here is the info on it:

Focusing on a group of women working in a Canadian munitions factory during World War II, this ensemble drama depicts the dangers and new experiences they face. While drawn from diverse backgrounds, the women soon form strong bonds with their peers.

Cast: Meg Tilly, Jodi Balfour, Charlotte Hegele, Ali Liebert, Anastasia Phillips, Richard Fitzpatrick, Antonio Cupo, Peter Outerbridge, Natasha Greenblatt, James McGowan, Kate Hennig, Carlyn Burchell, Michael Seater, Sebastian Pigott, Jim Codrington, Lisa Norton

 

Bob

[Ches-Gen-4]

Gil, you beat me by 1 minute. LOL

[cutiger83]

Thanks for the tip in the tv show. I will check it out. The article went into more detail about the hazards. This is the tip of the iceburg in the story.

[Third Herd]

The largest Naval Ammunition Depot was in Hastings, NE. It covered 49,000 acres and made 40% of the US Navy's munitions. A blast on April 6, 1944 killed five workers. Their co-workers erected a stone monument ten days later with the Statue of Liberty carved in it and the names of those killed and the words,"They gave their lives that liberty might not perish."

[Wharfmaster]

Not to mention men and women that worked in the Petroleum Industry, ashore and afloat. High octane.

[Third Herd]

I googled Hastings Naval Ammunition Depot and the Adams County Historical Society had that eight were killed on April 6, 1944, when 100,000 pounds of explosives exploded. A larger blast in September left a crater 550 feet long, 220 feet wide and 50 feet deep, killed nine and damaged towns in the area. School kids were injured in Harvard, NE when part of the school's roof caved in. The blast was felt in Iowa and Kansas.

[m151mp]

reading this topic reminded me of the port chicago explosion in july 1944. munitions handling is a risky business.

[cutiger83]

munitions handling is a risky business.

 

 

What amazed me is that they kept on working even though the handling of gunpowder caused so many health issues. They didn't have the safety regulations in place today:

 

"Her skin acquired a gray-green cast and she lost all her teeth. For months, she was given other work to do until the powder she’d inhaled was flushed from her system. "

[5thwingmarty]

There was a munitions plant near where my wife grew up in Kansas. A sign out front indicated how many days since the last death or permanent injury accident had occluded at the plant, and this was in the 70's.

[mvmhm]

I watched "Bomb Girls" a few weeks back...glad I stumbled on it - great show!

 

 

Mark sends

[Allan H.]

So Marty, did she grow up in Parsons, or near Desoto? I had a number of friends when I was in college who worked at the Sunflower Army Ammunition Works which was between Eudora and Desoto (not far from Kansas City). Safety was much better then, but one of the things that was mentioned at the time was that none of the old timers who worked there had any teeth!

 

Kat- what a great thread. Thank you for remembering these war workers. A soldier is nothing without ordnance!

 

Allan

[tarbridge]

Interesting thread Kat.Thanks for bringing our attention to this part of War.Robert

[doyler]

I HAVE WATCHED THE BOMB GIRLS A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT LOST TRACK OF ITS TIME SLOT

[Bob Hudson]

I HAVE WATCHED THE BOMB GIRLS A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT LOST TRACK OF ITS TIME SLOT

 

It is on Netflix where you can watch at any time of the day.

[Terry K.]

I got to see Bomb Girls and liked it a lot. They had DuPont's near my boyhood home and my father worked there during the war. It was broke up into two plants, Elwood and Kankakee. I know there was an explosion there too but don't remember if it was then or later. It became the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant after WW2 and produced ammo, etc through Vietnam and AT-4's later. My brother in law worked there in the 80's-90's and would get covered in the powder dust and get sick from it. I think it is completely closed now.

[cutiger83]

Thanks everyone for the great comments. I thought the entire article was very interesting.

 

On a side note, I found a way to get you men to read about women who served/worked in WWII....put women and ammunition in the same thread. Now I am on a quest to find a story about women and a helmet. Maybe that will get more interested in learning about women.

 

...Kat

[doyler]

BOOM-BOOM DID IT FOR ME Kat.

I think this has a whole other meaning in Vietnam, Korea, Okinawa, Philippines and other far off corners of Asia.....;-)

[cutiger83]

BOOM-BOOM DID IT FOR ME

 

I wondered if it was the title or the ammunition. I should have known that "Boom-Boom" would take precedence over ammunition.

 

...Kat

[Patriot12]

BOOM-BOOM DID IT FOR ME Kat.

I think this has a whole other meaning in Vietnam, Korea, Okinawa, Philippines and other far off corners of Asia.....;-)

 

I wondered when someone was going to mention that.

I had an entirely different idea of what the thread was going to be about.

[gunbunnyB/3/75FA]

lol, i live kind of near parsons, kan. and we still see a lot of the older gals who worked there who lost thier teeth.