We were delighted that so many people joined together on March 8th to honour the munitions workers of Rotherwas and across the UK. On International Women’s Day more than 70 people joined Lin Mathias in her tour of key historic munitions sites including the Rotherwas Shell Store, Rotherwas Chapel, Hereford Cathedral and Warehouse 701. At St Peter’s Church in Bullinghope wreaths were laid and a blessing said at the graves of the victims of the bomb which dropped on Rotherwas in July 1942. At the Herefordshire Archives and Records Centre the Lord Lieutenant, Lady Darnley, unveiled a memorial to all the munitions workers of Rotherwas which has been provided by Herefordshire Council. Please go and see it!
Canary Girls Bike Ride
Local art student and former Rotherwas resident Lin Mathias is organising a bike ride to commemorate the munitions workers of Rotherwas as the exhibition part of her final assessment. She is hoping to encourage cyclists to dress in munitions outfits and join her to cycle through the city, stopping at key locations such as the library and Cathedral, before moving down to Rotherwas and stopping at HARC and Warehouse 701. We will be following the same routes taken daily by thousands of men and women during WW1 and WW2.
Lin aims to bring the workers alive and share their stories, hear their voices and mark the unique rolls that they played in history.
It will take place on International Women’s Day - Friday March 8th 2019. Rotherwas Together are supporting Lin’s project which is a fabulous way of commemorating the work done by thousands of munitions men and women. If you are interested in joining Lin please contact us at rotherwas@hotmail.com and we will pass on your details to her