Women on the Home Front

Researched and written by students at East Norfolk Sixth Form College

World War One affected every woman in Yarmouth. While the majority of men were sent off to war, it is sometimes easy to forget the work of women left behind. Yarmouth’s women helped tremendously by taking up the roles previously held by men.

Despite facing prejudice, women made an enormous contribution to the upkeep of the country. At the start of WW1 it was often not clear what roles women would take. Due to the belief that the conflict would be over before Christmas, it was a slow process to incorporate women into the working world. However, the variety of jobs taken up by women was vast: from the Women’s Royal Air Force and Naval Service to local businesses such as the engineering company Boulton & Paul and local hospitals.