After the introduction of conscription in Britain in March 1916, the government encouraged women to take the place of male employees who had been released from their normal occupations to serve at the front. The appeal was successful, and by July 1914, 212,000 women were working in engineering and munitions, but by 1918, the total was nearly a million. Many of these women were married or were mothers whose husbands or older sons had gone to the Front.

Shifts for "munitionettes", as they were called, were long and conditions harsh and potentially dangerous. They were also known as 'canaries' because of the yellow tinge that their skin acquired by exposure to sulphur. They produced 80% of the weapons and shells used by the British Army and risked their lives on a regular basis, working with poisonous substances without adequate protective clothing or safety measures. There were several major explosions in munitions factories, such as the one at Barnbow on the night of 5 December 1916, when 35 women lost their lives.In addition, around 400 women died from overexposure to TNT whilst handling shells during the war.

However the rate of pay, the increased independence and the feeling that this was a way for women to make a positive contribution to the war effort made work in the munitions factories an attractive proposition for many, including these four sisters.