Who were they?

In 1943, women who were not married or working an essential job were required to volunteer for war work. This was known as National Service.

Women from all walks of life, aged 18 to about 35, volunteered to operate narrowboats during World War Two.

Many of these women did not have any experience boating, however, boating experience was not required. The women were trained over a six-week period. The training included how to work the boats, how to operate the locks, how load and unload the cargo and the geography of the canals.

Around 100 women started training, but only 45 women completed their training. The first trainees started working in May 1942.

The boats carried up to 50 tonnes of essential supplies at a time. Mostly steel, but the boats also carried cement, grain, flour, and other foodstuffs.

What did they do?

Their job involved a round trip of up to two or three weeks with a few days of unpaid leave offered at the end of each trip. The days were long, and the work was tough.

These women lived in tiny cabins. They were also not given any extra rations, unlike their land counterparts, the Land Girls, who replaced male farm workers during World War Two.

They were paid £3 a week.

The narrowboat women were also trained by other women. The two main trainers were Daphne French and Kit Grayford.

Why canals?

In 1939, many of the men who had been operating the canal boats joined the army.

Ministry of War Transport realised that supplies such as coal and food could be transported along the canal.

Legacy

There were never more than eleven crews working at one time. One crew of women (Evelyn, Audrey, and Anne) became the Propaganda crew for the Narrowboat Women. They were the inspiration for the 1944 film ‘Painted Boats.’ The crew also performed before ministry officials and appeared in a Pathe News film.

Several women wrote books about their experiences working on the canals. We know the most about these women.

• Kit Grayford, ‘The Amateur Boatwoman.’
• Susan Woolfitt, ‘Idle Women.’
• Margaret Cornish, ‘Troubled Waters.’
• Emma Smith, ‘Maidens’ Trip.’

A play was also written about these women: ‘Imogen’s War’, which was written by Mike Lucas and Sarah Parks. The play was written using material drawn from diaries and books written by the women themselves.

A project by Alarum Productions also focused on the Narrowboat women, entitled ‘Idle Women of the Wartime Waterways.’

In addition, Kit Grayford was awarded an MBE in 1945.

There is also a plaque in their honour located at the National Waterways Museum in Stoke Bruerne.

Finally, these women not only undertook vital war work, but they also proved those who doubted they would be able to handle the work wrong. Indeed, an official of the Grand Union Canal Company was quoted in the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail in April of 1941 saying, ‘we doubt if women would be strong enough.’