Assembling electrical instruments in a former furniture showroom in the London area. There were 33 volunteers in this particular centre.
A interesting scheme for decentralised part-timer workshops was organised by a resident of one of the London suburbs in 1942. The prototype shop, which had been running successfully in the lounge of a large house, employed forty half-time women from the immediate neighbourhood on hand-finishing aircraft components for a hard-pressed factory in Middlesex to which the organiser was introduced by the Regional Board. Further shops for various hand-assembly and non-machine operation soon sprang up with the support of officials of the Ministries of Production and Aircraft Production, as well as various prominent industrialists. It was realized that the scheme was worth taking seriously as it had big potentialities of bringing war work to the enormous reserve of woman-power that still existed in residential districts.
The Ministry of Production, in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and Supply Departments, extended the plan and by 1943 figures showed that there were some 20,000 outworkers in Britain, many in rural districts, but nearly half of them in the London area. Such was the success, that more work had to be found, as the number of non-mobile women who had volunteered enabled the scheme to be considerably extended, and managements were urged to utilise their labour and so relieve bottlenecks in their own factories. By taking work to workrooms in country and suburban districts the productive capacity of women unable to leave their localities was profitably harnessed to the war effort.
De Havilland’s made particular use of this available labour force and ‘out-worked’ a lot of small components for their Mosquitoes. Obviously, long runs of light parts were the most suitable for outworking. Cable harness, electric terminals, certain types of lamps, wireless parts, armature coils, condensers, and the assembly of small units offered the greatest scope for the scheme. A high degree of skill and accuracy was attained by women producing particular components in their own homes or local workrooms
Mosquito production did not always entail the use of large factories. Mrs BA Hale formed a ‘cottage industry’ group with her neighbours to make Mosquito parts in a hut in the garden of her Welwyn home - it was a novel kind of ‘dispersal of industry’ to which many others took part.
A large outworking unit engaged in packing parts at a converted wallpaper factory. Discipline and spirit were up to the best factory standards ; absenteeism was low and lateness almost unknown. Output rate was high, since half-timers could keep up speed on repetitive work and, as they live within walking distance of their work, travelling fatigue and worries were eliminated.
Thesuccess of outworking in the London area may be gauged from the following examples, which were typical of centres set up throughout the country. One very large firm of retail house furnishers, with branches throughout the Home Counties, cleared part of three large showrooms and installed the necessary workbenches. Altogether, some 1,100 housewives working in 5-hour shifts were regularly engaged with the preparation of cables for the electrical wiring for a number of different aircraft, and with coil winding for electrical components. This particular scheme was sponsored by the furnishing firm, working in conjunction with the main contractors.
A scheme of a slightly different nature was that carried on at a private house. Here, some 84 friends and acquaintances who lived within easy walking distance were engaged with binding of inter-communication cords in a large room on the ground floor, and up to the end of September1943 some 14,000 cords had been completed. In addition, another contract for the manufacture of goggles was being completed by individuals in their own homes, the central depot for distribution being organised by the organiser of the above scheme. On this latter work, 70 volunteers were employed. The labour obtained in this case was of a type which was non-directable and immobile and would not come in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour. Another unit was started by a Rotary club, some of whose members had practical knowledge of motor engineering, electrical equipment and assembly. Here a contract was secured for the assembly of gunsight lamp.
In the London and South-Eastern region, 320 National Fire Service station carried out productive work. At first this was of a simple nature, but later increased in skill and included work of somewhat heavier type. Because it was impossible to obtain further local labour, a London firm decided to form outworking centres in residential districts. Soon there were a large number of units in operation and these were completely assembling components made in the main factory.
Factory piecework rates were paid, and up to £2 a week was earned. Overheads were very low, being in the region of fifteen per cent of the actual bench labour costs.