International Women’s Day celebrates the incredible contribution women make around the world today and this year is no different, with events planned for Tuesday 8 March 2022.
Ahead of then, we’ve taken a look back at some of the trailblazing women in Manchester played a vital role in their communities during World War II.
With millions of men away on the frontline, women led the way in many walks of life, with many taking on new roles from air raid wardens to joining the Women’s Land Army to help increase food production.
There are also photos of women grabbing a moment of relaxation away from the pressures of war-time life, including nurses enjoying a tug-of-war game Booth Hall Hospital in Manchester.
The photos from the Getty archive also give other small insights into the early war years in Manchester - from the salvage appeal boxes to the ‘save your way to victory’ bonds.
- If you have a photo or memory you would like to share, we’d love to hear from you -email us at [email protected]
1. Morning inspection
A member of the AFS with a long line of Wellington boots during a morning inspection at a Manchester fire-station in 1939. Photo: Credit: Fox Photos/Getty Images
2. How to be seen in the blackout
Manchester maternity nurses wearing their white capes and hoods, to be more easily seen in the blackout Photo: Credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
3. Digging deep
Austrian refugees off to work on an allotment in 1940 at West Didsbury, Manchester. Photo: Credit: Fox Photos/Getty Images
4. Home-made head pads
Nurses of the St. Mary’s Hospital for Women and Children in Manchester wearing their siren suits and anti-concussion head pads Photo: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images