Dec 2016

During the First and Second World Wars, thousands of men and women who worked in munitions factories around the country were crucial to the war effort. However, these workers, the majority of whom were women, have never had their service recognised.

Alongside BBC Hereford, I have launched a campaign in Parliament to ensure that these workers receive the recognition they deserve. Tragically, many of these workers have already died, unrecognised, but we are pushing for the award of an official badge to those men and women still living who served our country so admirably during the wars.

There were factories all over the country, but there was a major munitions plant at Rotherwas, in Herefordshire, and we would like to officially recognise the war efforts of these people, who until 2012 were not even allowed to march on Remembrance Sunday.

I asked written questions to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the information they hold on surviving munitions workers, and their willingness to grant these badges. You can find these questions and the responses here.

I have also tabled a motion for debate in the House of Commons, which I will continue to garner support for, in the hope of securing a chance to debate this very important issue before time runs out for those we hope to recognise through the award of a badge.

If you have any comments or information you would like to share with me, please do get in touch through the Contact Bill section of the website.