Idle Woman to get medal

[Chris J W]

Idle women wanted

 

7th Aug 2008

 

The Waterways Trust and British Waterways are appealing for women who worked on the waterways during the Second World War to come forward to receive formal recognition of their efforts more than 60 years after the conflict ended.

 

[more]

[cheshire~rose]

How wonderful!

 

I hope this gets lots of publicity so that those deserving ladies get to collect their medal and cam pass it down with pride to their families before another chapter of history gets forgotten

[Chris J W]

Anyone here with contacts for the 'Idle Women'?

 

As Cheshire~Rose says, this deserves a bit more publicity.

[Smelly]

Wasn't Sonia Rolt something to do with this?

[AMModels]

I think this should be extended to all boaters from WW2 who were kept from the armed forces as part of the protected occupations scheme, they were the equivalent of bevin boys and the Idle women yet never received any recognition for the part they played in the war effort carrying among other things shell casings and quite a few cargoes of explosives.

[Derek R.]

Wasn't Sonia Rolt something to do with this?

 

Yes, Sonia was a trainee and met George Smith Boatman whom she married, later re-marrying Tom Rolt.

[Derek R.]

Yes, Sonia was a trainee and met George Smith Boatman whom she married, later re-marrying Tom Rolt.

 

There's a good deal of information on Wartime Trainees here, including a contribution from Sonia Rolt:

http://www.btinternet.com/~doug.small/wtwomen.htm

 

A little more browsing has brought up this page from Narrow Boat magazine:

http://www.narrowboatmagazine.com/links.html

 

Scroll down to Idle Women, and you will find links to eight parts of the BBC's WW2 People's War contributed by Jean Peters. Very good.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Derek R.

[BuckbyLocks]

I think this should be extended to all boaters from WW2 who were kept from the armed forces as part of the protected occupations scheme, they were the equivalent of bevin boys and the Idle women yet never received any recognition for the part they played in the war effort carrying among other things shell casings and quite a few cargoes of explosives.

This proposal was put to the 'Powers that be' during the IW ceremony as it also applies to the First World War Boaters. Bevin Boys and the IW scheme are rather separate from the Reserved Occupation of Boater though. Hopefully something will come out of this suggestion next year.

 

The IW medal is not a medal but a plaque recording their efforts and will eventually be displaid at Stoke Bruerne once planning consent can be obtained. Several of the iWs or their descendants were able to be present for the unveiling.

[Chris J W]

That's Odd. I could have sworn that when I wrote the OP there was something on that page about them getting medals, too. :lol:

[Maverick]

Got an Idle Ba***** who's supposed to have being helping me do the locks these past few years. Sure God gave em 2 pairs of lips so they cud P*** and moan at the same time.

 

God forgive they issue bloody medals to boaters wives next.

 

Unless of course you know one that deserves a medal???????

[US Marines]

Happened to be reading Susan Woolfit's book, looked out of the window and saw:

 

 

Beautiful boat - but made even more interesting because I was just reading about Mrs Woolfit's escapades in her when I took this - at least I assume that its the same boat.....? (must be, surely - but different paint job)

 

They DEFINITELY deserve medals - some servicemen got (and still get) campaign medals for doing much less !

Edited October 11, 2008 by US Marines

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Agreed they should get a medal, about time the guys in WW2 Bomber Command got one - 55000 killed, but no medal forthcoming!

 

Albi.

[koukouvagia]

I don’t want to sound churlish, but I don’t think a medal from BW or the Waterways Trust would be much to write home about. These women deserve recognition from the British Government on behalf of a greatful nation. My mother, now in her nineties, has just received with great pride one such medal and citation for her work in the Land Army. Her only slight reservation is that it was signed by Gordon Brown, not the Queen!

[US Marines]

Hi,

 

Agreed they should get a medal, about time the guys in WW2 Bomber Command got one - 55000 killed, but no medal forthcoming!

 

Albi.

 

Couldn't agree more !

 

(Recommended reading - if you haven't already - 'Bomber Boys' and 'Fighter Boys' by Patrick Bishop)

 

I don’t want to sound churlish, but I don’t think a medal from BW or the Waterways Trust would be much to write home about. These women deserve recognition from the British Government on behalf of a greatful nation. My mother, now in her nineties, has just received with great pride one such medal and citation for her work in the Land Army. Her only slight reservation is that it was signed by Gordon Brown, not the Queen!

 

Agreed that they should get recognition from the nation - but any medal is better than nothing, surely ?

[BuckbyLocks]

Happened to be reading Susan Woolfit's book, looked out of the window and saw:

 

 

Beautiful boat - but made even more interesting because I was just reading about Mrs Woolfit's escapades in her when I took this - at least I assume that its the same boat.....? (must be, surely - but different paint job)

 

They DEFINITELY deserve medals - some servicemen got (and still get) campaign medals for doing much less !

Same Boat, but it has had rather a lot of owners/skippers since then.

 

I think all the boaters deserved a medal, but there was no Government sponsorship for the IW Scheme, even though it was overseen by the Ministry of War (Transport). A lot of people did push for a medal for the IW when the medal for the Land Girls was announced, but they were backed by the government, not by the GUCCCo. The Leeds and Liverpool Scheme was not just for Female volunteers.

[alan_fincher]

I think anybody who played their part should have official recognition.

 

My dad spent three and a half years in a Japanese prison of war camp, and undoubtedly most of the survivors of those suffered just about as much deprivation as anybody can live through, (with vast numbers failing to make it, of course).

 

Unfortunately the disasterous fall of Singapore must feature very high up the list of all time British military gaffes, and nobody has ever been that keen to acknowledge the plight of so many who were handed straight to an enemy who treated them in ways one prefers to not even think of.

 

It took huge campaigning to get any compensation for those whose health was wrecked by the experience, and who's lives often ended prematurely. My father only finally qualified for some small compensation in the years leading up to his death.

 

It can do no harm to honour everybody who played their part in the war, whether in the limelight or just in a background role. Those who continued to operate essential services at home, like railways and canals are as worthy of recognition as those called up, in my view.

Edited October 11, 2008 by alan_fincher

[AMModels]

I think anybody who played their part should have official recognition.

 

My dad spent three and a half years in a Japanese prison of war camp, and undoubtedly most of the survivors of those suffered just about as much deprivation as anybody can live through, (with vast numbers failing to make it, of course).

 

Unfortunately the disasterous fall of Singapore must feature very high up the list of all time British military gaffes, and nobody has ever been that keen to acknowledge the plight of so many who were handed straight to an enemy who treated them in ways one prefers to not even think of.

 

It took huge campaigning to get any compensation for those whose health was wrecked by the experience, and who's lives often ended prematurely. My father only finally qualified for some small compensation in the years leading up to his death.

 

It can do no harm to honour everybody who played their part in the war, whether in the limelight or just in a background role. Those who continued to operate essential services at home, like railways and canals are as worthy of recognition as those called up, in my view.

 

well said Alan

[US Marines]

My Dad got the Suez campaign medal - he waved goodbye to mum, got on the boat, sailed off - and then turned around and came back home again because the crisis had ended.

 

He was the first to say that he didn't deserve it....

 

(apparently, he qualified because they reached international waters before turning around)

 

Its weird how, because of VERY short term memories and/or completely misplaced 'embarrassment', bomber command and the Singapore campaigns etc etc were not properly recognised after the war....

 

Same Boat, but it has had rather a lot of owners/skippers since then.

 

[jeb]

My Dad got the Suez campaign medal - he waved goodbye to mum, got on the boat, sailed off - and then turned around and came back home again because the crisis had ended.

 

He was the first to say that he didn't deserve it....

 

(apparently, he qualified because they reached international waters before turning around)

 

Its weird how, because of VERY short term memories and/or completely misplaced 'embarrassment', bomber command and the Singapore campaigns etc etc were not properly recognised after the war....

 

 

 

 

Its funny how things are worked out because my Dad was also sent to the Suez but they refused to acknowledge he'd even been there let alone give him a medal.

This came about because he was doing his stint of National service after completing his apprentiship and was assigned to the Royal Engineers. Apparently only regular servicemen were called up to go and that men doing National Service would be exempt. That said Dad and and a handfull of other men doing their National Service were sent over there ( dont know how many ) despite being exempt. To cut a long story short there were loud noises made in certain quarters and after a few weeks they were all sent home again. Never the less he still served on active duty along with all the rest and the government to this day refuse to honour him with the Suez medal however they do now acknowledge that he was there. This came in a letter to my mother only last year Dad died 12 years ago, I had no idea that my mother was still pushing for him.

[Pluto]

Same Boat, but it has had rather a lot of owners/skippers since then.

 

I think all the boaters deserved a medal, but there was no Government sponsorship for the IW Scheme, even though it was overseen by the Ministry of War (Transport). A lot of people did push for a medal for the IW when the medal for the Land Girls was announced, but they were backed by the government, not by the GUCCCo. The Leeds and Liverpool Scheme was not just for Female volunteers.

 

 

The Leeds & Liverpool scheme was just for women, and they trained on the boat Venus which was converted with bunks in a cabin in the hold at Whitebirk. AFAIK only four women actually worked on the canal, where they were called Judys: Mrs Ruby Greenwood of Halifax, Miss Barbara Gray of Edinburgh, Miss Elsie Blackburn of Burnley and Miss Nancy Smith of Northwich. During training at Whitebirk they were looked after by Mildred, the daughter of Jack Hodson, the boat yard owner. The work was considered too hard for women, not just because of the wide locks and working into the River Mersey, but because boatmen were expected to work in the warehouses as well when required. With sacks of grain and bales of cotton and wool weoghing up to and over 2cwt, you had to be pretty fit. A second scheme was set up by the Leeds & Liverpool to encourage Irishmen to work on canals, and this was adopted by many canals, with Irishmen working on canals all over the country until they found they could get more money and better conditions elsewhere.