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Image thought to have been taken around the period of the First World War in front of the red brick factory building of Joseph Watson & Sons Ltd (Soapy Joe's) at number 9 Whitehall Road. It shows large numbers of factory girls, some standing on boxes for a better view. They are dressed in overalls and mob caps. On the other side of the street onlookers have gathered and several marshalls and a uniformed policeman are posted at intervals in front of the crowd. This could be a royal visit as a carpet has been laid at the entrance to the building. On the left-hand side a line of men wearing overcoats and cloth caps are seen as if waiting to be presented. Two of these men are on crutches. Two other men stand in the street facing them, one with a pair of walking sticks and the other wearing a top hat. On the right other smartly dressed men are visible. During the First World War as a result of 'the shell crisis' Joseph Watson aided the government in establishing national munitions factories, the first of these being Barnbow shell filling factory in Leeds. Joseph Watson became chairman of the 'Leeds Munitions Committee' in August 1915. The committee was made up of several other industrialists from the Leeds area. On 21st June 1916 Joseph Watson received a telegram from the then Minister of Munitions, David Lloyd George, congratulating 'the amatol factory operatives' on a 100% increase in shell-filling performance. 'Plenty of ammunition saves lives of our brave fellows at the front.' 'The Shell Magazine - an original souvenir by employees of the National Ordnance Factory at Newlay, No 1' mentions 'four splendid factories'. In 1917 Jas. B. McClean, from the Ministry of Munitions wrote "I am able to express, in your Souvenir Magazine, some measure of the keen appreciation of the Ministry of Munitions for the manner in which the Leeds Ordnance Factories have rallied to the Great Cause, towards the final accomplishment of which the whole forces of the Nation are gradually being brought to bear." | License: | http://www.leodis.net/article.aspx?id=12 | Rights holder: | Leeds Central Library | Subjects: | Joseph Watson Whitehall Road war | Source: | Leodis - A photographic archive of Leeds | Identifier: | http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?id=20... | Go to resource |
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