Chilwell Factory Explosion 1918, Nottinghamshire

This can be found in the churchyard at Attenborough.

The Chilwell Factory Explosion killed 134 munitions workers and injured a further 250*.  

Because of the scale of the explosion only 32 of the dead could be positively identified, the rest were buried in a mass grave at St Marys Church, Attenborough and this blue plaque marks the spot.

There is a second memorial, but that is on MOD property and is only accessible to the public on special occasions.

With most young men away fighting in the war, many women worked in the factory - in fact one of the reasons for choosing the location (though not necessarily the main one) was that there was an existing local tradition of women working in factories, which was not the case elsewhere.

The women were nicknamed Canary Girls as over time their skin would turn yellow/orange due to exposure to TNT. 

I can`t hope to do justice to the subject in this short post, but would urge you to visit the many other sites with information on the Chilwell explosion. 

* I assume some of the injured died subsequently as the MOD memorial apparently lists 141 names (Imperial War Museum - National Shell Filling Factory Explosion - War Memorial Ref 26873).