A batch of womens workwear uniforms used during the First World War has been returned to the Museum of London. They were originally loaned to the Imperial War Museum for an exhibition in 1932 about London in Wartime.

The clothes themselves were all issued to women working for GER, the Great Eastern Railway which worked lines from Liverpool Street Station in London out to Norwich and other towns in East Anglia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are made of very heavy, dark blue cotton and have no embellishments apart from GER embroidered in red on the collar.

Transport was one of the main areas where women replaced men, and this was true during both World Wars. According to information in The National Archives the number of women working within the transport industry increased by a remarkable 555%, between July 1914 and November 1918, to almost 100,000. The female conductor’s uniform (or conductorettes as they were known) was actually designed to reflect the contemporary fashions, but the tunic and trousers issued for heavier work was simple in the extreme. The basic tunic and trousers was issued for cleaning operations, including engines and carriages. The tunic was normally worn loose over the trousers, but there are examples of a belt being used around the tunic. As always, workers will find a way to somehow personalise their uniform so that it works for them.

No doubt these uniforms will feature in a future exhibition as we celebrate one hundred years since the Great War began next year. The uniforms illustrate how materials and uniforms have changed over the last hundred years and how people’s attitude to women in the workplace has changed too. While we can’t supply these garments I’m sure that Brookes can satisfy any of your everyday requirements for womens workwear in this modern world. Why not check out the website for our latest offers.