The remarkable life of Elizabeth Niblett, a Gloucester Canary Girl who returned from New York and worked in a World War I munitions factory, has been brought to light by her granddaughter. During both world wars, British women who labored in munitions factories were nicknamed “Canary Girls” because exposure to toxic chemicals turned their skin a distinctive yellow.
Gloucester City Council is planning to honor those who worked at the now-demolished National Filling Factory Number Five in Quedgeley. This factory, located on what is now the Kingsway site, was requisitioned in 1914 through compulsory land purchase. It became a major production center, creating over 10.5 million shells, 7 million cartridges, and 23 million fuses and components. The site later served as an RAF base until it closed in 1995.
The factory workforce was predominantly female, filling millions of shells and cartridges before production ceased with the 1918 armistice. However, many workers suffered toxic jaundice — caused by handling phosphorus in TNT — which turned their skin yellow, hence the nickname “Canary Girls.” Sadly, this exposure led to numerous premature deaths.
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Elizabeth Niblett (née Etheridge) was born in 1872 near Westbury-on-Severn and spent part of her early life in New York. According to her granddaughter Diana Simon, Elizabeth yearned for the green English countryside and returned to Gloucestershire, where she worked in domestic roles before marrying Alfred George Niblett and settling in Gloucester.
With a growing family and tight finances, Elizabeth seized the opportunity when the Quedgeley munitions factory opened. She wanted to support the men fighting abroad and became one of the local “Canaries.” Thanks to train services from Gloucester to Quedgeley, these “flightless canaries” commuted daily. Fortunately, Elizabeth avoided contracting the yellow pigment disease and lived to the age of 72, far surpassing many of her contemporaries.
Diana Simon advocates for a memorial to honor these extraordinary women. Rather than a traditional statue, she suggests a stained glass window, a mosaic wall, or a delicate installation of yellow birds—a tribute reflecting the femininity and resilience of the women who performed such crucial “men’s work.” She envisions a creative competition for local artists as a fitting way to celebrate their legacy.
If you have a relative who worked at the Quedgeley munitions factory and would like to share their story, please contact [email protected].