'Why women have always been firefighters' - Powerful new play in Leeds celebrates courage and hope
They blazed a trail for women who were ahead of their time and all wanting to make a difference.
And this weekend a new one-woman play, celebrating the story of female firefighters from Yorkshire, will premier at Gipton Old Fire Station.
The performance ‘Trailblazing - Women Have Always Been Firefighters’ tells the story of three women between 1939 and the present day.
It is inspired by the true stories of women who fought fires in WW2, the first operational female firefighters in the 1980s and women who have worked in the fire service since the early 2000s until the present day
Some of their stories have been quite harrowing but the positive side has always been the comradeship and the sense of connection between them
Writer, Sarah Jane Dickensen, has been researching the history of women who joined the service from WW2 onwards.
She said: “Women have always been ‘firefighters’ in one way or another and this play is inspired by some who happen to be trailblazers in the actual fire service.
“Why have women chosen to be firefighters over the past 85 years? Because they wanted to help, to nurture people and give hope.
“This play touches on how each generation gives forward to support the next generation of firefighters.”
Shane Ewen, professor in urban history at Leeds Beckett University, has been working with the Gipton Heritage Group to collect stories.
He said: “The Fire Service has always been a very close knit community because of challenging shift patterns,.
“During the war women weren’t even allowed to hold a fire hose, so they would drive officers around bomb scenes, drive the mobile canteen and the fire pumps. They helped out in any way they could.”
“It would have been tough – you had to prove yourself to the men and to the other women that you could do this job.
“Women generally worked in the control room both during after the Second World War which was, and remains, an important and traumatic job, working long hours under pressure.
“It was highly skilled. But, before the 1970s, women were not paid the same rate as men due to an old fashioned perception that men were less emotional and therefore better at doing the job.”
Heritage Co-ordinator for Space2, Coralie Datta, who is producing the show said: “This is particularly close to home for me as our office is based in a famous old fire station in Leeds.
“Many people don’t even realise that women worked in the fire service during World War Two - it’s all about resilience and uncovering the unknown stories of those strong women from the past through to the present day.”
Trailblazing will be performed by Jane Morland, a Leeds actor who has been involved with the East Leeds Fire Heritage Group for many years.
She added: “I’ve helped to oversee Heritage Days and collected oral histories from both the men and the women. Some of their stories have been quite harrowing but the positive side has always been the comradeship and the sense of connection between them.”
The play is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will tour 15 community venues across Leeds following its first showing during Heritage Open Day Week.