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4 Friday, November 10, 2023 brooklintowncrier.com When Canada entered World War Two by declaring war on Germany on September 10, 1939, Pickering Township emerged as a crucial hub for manufacturing munitions. This was due in part to its stable political environment and convenient location. The government envisioned constructing a large shell-filling assembly plant. To realize this goal, it expropriated 2,846 acres of land from Township farmers. After the war, the property became the town of Ajax. Defence Industries Limited (DIL) started operations in 1941 and recruited over 7,000 women to work on the production lines, some from across the country. Many had made a significant sacrifice by leaving their homes and families to fill shells. These women played their part to assist their country in a world grappling with one of its darkest chapters. From aprons to ammo Their sacrifices have largely gone unnoticed. Dorothy Mae Hall (later Dorothy Fishley), whose family farm was located on Winchester and Ashburn roads, was recruited as a teenager. For her and The Bomb-Making Girls By Jennifer Hudgins other Brooklin women, such as Audrey Young (née Hall) and Aileen Crawford (née DeHart), working at DIL was a huge departure from the quiet routines of rural life. But for each woman, stepping into roles traditionally reserved for men meant serving their country. This sentiment had such a strong impact on Bonnie Snudden's mom, Ruth Aldred, that she fibbed about her age to get work at the plant alongside her older sister, Hazel. DIL experienced rapid expansion with the increased hiring of more women. Brooklin children's author Heather Bradley recalls her grandmother, Grace Bradley (née Morden) sharing a poignant memory from her days working on the assembly line. One day, Grace ended her shift at the plant and noticed rows of small houses for the out-of-town workers had emerged in the fields, connected by newly constructed roads along Harwood Avenue. At first, only single women were recruited. But as the demand for munitions grew, the company began employing married women. Marie Bartlett, a resident of 11 George Street, was one of them. She worked on the Cap and Det line, a crucial segment of the munitions manufacturing assembly responsible for crafting detonators used in explosives and artillery shells. Her husband Jack also worked for DIL. Dangerous work Despite enduring round-the-clock shifts in a barbed-wire fenced compound and subjected to random clothing searches and, these women took pride in the dangerous tasks of building ammunitions. The DIL publication "Commando" stated in 1942: "There are more likely to be sinners than saints among us, but deep down we are thinking of the boys behind that gun. Somebody's father, husband, son or sweetheart - that boy who wants the tools, which we can give him. To do the jobs that are vital to victory is indeed a privilege and to be a woman war worker is a decided honour." This Remembrance Day, as we honour the brave men and women who fought for our freedom during the war, let us also pay tribute to the women who played a vital role in producing the essential ammunitions that helped secure victory. Photo from a Bomb Girls website. Marie Bartlett (second row, third from the left wearing glasses). Also in the photo are Aileen DeHart and Audrey Hall (left to right) Hazel Aldred, Dolly (last name unknown), Ruth Aldred.