Rosie’s Plaque commemorates women who worked on Cannock Chase
To mark International Women’s Day, Members of Soroptimist International of Stafford have created a “Rosie’s Plaque” to honour women who worked as Lumber Jills on Cannock Chase and at Henry Venables Timber Yard in Stafford during the Second World War.
The Women’s Timber Corps was established in 1942, and by 1944, 6,000 women were working as Lumber Jills. Their roles included felling, snedding, loading, crosscutting, driving tractors and trucks, working with horses, and operating sawmills. The expertise gained led to women being employed by The Forestry in 1947 to complete Britain’s Tree Census for the first time. All were former members of The Women’s Timber Corps.
Rosie’s Plaques is a project to celebrate and honour forgotten and inspiring women across Britain. The plaque for the Lumber Jills has been presented to the Tea Room at Springslade Lodge on Cannock Chase. Lucy from Springslade Lodge expressed pride in displaying the plaque and being part of the event to honour the Lumber Jills.
Soroptimist International is a global organisation for women, with 80,000 members in 3,000 clubs across more than 100 countries. Soroptimists support over half a million women and girls worldwide each year. For more information about Soroptimist International, visit sigbi.org. For the Stafford club, visit sigbi.org/stafford.
