The Port
A reserved occupation
During the Second World War it was considered essential that a
male workforce was held back from active military service to be
employed in certain jobs. Employers were able to apply for
‘reserved occupation’ status for men of enlisting age. These
workers carried a card that explained why they weren’t in the armed
forces.
Two of the main industries in which this happened were mining and
dock work. Many young men felt angry that their work stopped
them from going to fight, and some civilians saw it as a stigma.
Conversely though, if women applied to take up a job in a reserved
occupation they were also frowned upon as they were sending a man
to war by competing with them for work.
In Southampton the main area that saw men in a reserved occupation
was the dock. Some men who had served in the First World War
expected to be called up again, only to find that Britain needed
their skills as a riveter more than as another foot soldier. The
authorities decided early on that certain skills were too valuable
to be lost and so shift workers in the docks and electricians,
amongst others, were exempt from military duty. They were even
given extra food rations for making sandwiches when they were on
shift.
A downside of being reserved for service in Britain was that the
workforce was expected to be mobile. It certainly didn't mean that
you would be able to stay in the comfort of your home with your
loved ones. As the port in Southampton was wound down at the start
of the war, or as enemy bombing heavily hit docks in London, dock
work became concentrated in the safer ports in the west such as on
the River Clyde in Scotland. The workers had to move to where they
were needed.
Occasionally as the War progressed the situation was reviewed. A
great many men were dying in Europe and their numbers needed to be
reinforced. Often women filled these jobs, for example the Womens Royal NavalService was created to 'Free a man for service'. The
traditionally male dominated roles such as factory work became
available to women as the War went on, for example at the Pirelli
Factory in Southampton; men were gradually replaced and enlisted to
the army.
This situation became increasingly common across the country. Old
values were assessed and by June 1940 some 5,306,000 women were in
civil employment all over Britain. Many areas that had previously
been considered a male occupation now saw females working in
Aircraft factories, munitions factories, driving trains, cars and
operating anti-aircraft guns. This started a social
transformation that could not be changed back once the war was
over. Times were changing fast during the war years.
It wasn't an easier option to work in a reserved occupation. Often
the locations that the men worked were prime targets for the enemy
and the risks were high. In addition to this the men were still
obliged to follow their orders and work wherever they were
needed. Men in reserved occupations contributed an
essential resource to the war effort, equal to that of soldiers
fighting on the front.
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