Nottingham War Munition Volunteers

“NOTTINGHAM WORKMEN AND WAR MUNITIONS.

“ENROLMENT OF VOLUNTEERS.

“Last night [1st July 1915] the Mayor of Nottingham (Ald. J. H. Gregg) presided over a meeting of workers in the engineering and kindred trades in the Albert Hall, the object of which was to enrol volunteers for the manufacture of munitions, and a fair gathering assembled to hear Mr. J. T. Brownlie, a member the National Munitions Advisory Board.

“His Worship said it was gratifying to note that men were coming forward in Nottingham, and he was able to report that nearly 500 men offered their services at the Exchange Hail last week. (Applause.)

“Mr. Brownlie, in his address, said was informed that some employers were putting obstacles in the way of men becoming war munition volunteers. This was very wrong. (A Voice: “Alter it.”) He knew of factories in which a certain percentage of the workers were engaged upon Government work while others were doing civil and commercial work but were told that they were engaged on Government work. “My advice to the workmen,” declared, “is pay no attention to the employers but enrol as war munition workers. If you do it does not follow you will be transferred from your workshop. My reason in asking you to enrol is to show the Government that the skilled men of the nation will serve the nation in her hour of need.” (Applause.)

“Mr. A. Hayday (president the Nottingham and District Trades Council) bore out Mr. Brownlie’s last assertion, and said they wanted the employers to be as full of patriotism as the British worker.

“CHANCE FOR THE UNSKILLED.

“Questions were invited, and one man asked: What chance has the unskilled workman in Nottingham, where there are so many lacemakers?

“Mr. Brownlie replied in the following terms: “The man engaged in the production of lace machines is a highly skilled workman. Some of the most efficient workmen in Woolwich Arsenal were men I graded from Nottingham 20 years ago.

“The unskilled workman engaged on lace machines will be very useful in the production of shells because the production of shells is, relatively speaking, an unskilled and semi-skilled industry.” (Hear, hear.)

“The Mayor himself caused light to be thrown upon a question that has been freely discussed of late in the city. It referred to local factories, and the opportunities afforded them for the manufacture munitions, and Mr. Brownlie, in replying said if they split up 10,000 men into 10 or 20 distinct factories they would require 10 or 20 sets of gauges, sacks, and other tools, and there was a great scarcity of tool makers. It was not possible to get an adequate supply of gauges and tools to supply 10, 20, or 30 factories, but if the men were concentrated into one large factory, one or two sets of tools would be ample.

“If it is at all possible,” remarked Mr. Brownlie in closing, “to give work to Nottingham to produce shells with the rapidity required, you can rest assured the Minister of Munitions will do so because it not in the interests of the nation that any one town should suffer from a shortage in employment. (Hear, hear.)

“At the close of the proceedings a large number of men enrolled.”

'Nottingham Evening Post', 2nd July 1915.