THE fact that this large group represents only the administrative staff of the wartime Royal Ordnance Factory at Steeton gives some idea of its size.
The photographer was Keighley freelance William Speight, in 1945, when security restrictions had been relaxed.
At its peak, the Royal Ordnance Factory – popularly known as The Dump – employed more than 4,000, two thirds of whom were women, many drafted there as an alternative to conscription into the armed forces.
Many were brought by special trains and buses from 62 towns and villages in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The Dump ran a seven-acre farm which never kept less than 30 pigs, supplying a 1,000-seater canteen with pork and vegetables. Its lunchtime entertainments qualified for an ENSA concert once a fortnight.
Second World War statistics can be staggering.
Between starting production in 1941 and peace in 1945, The Dump turned out 204 million munition components, including 63 million shells and 120 million cases.
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