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Sculpture honours 'forgotten' women shipworkers

BBC A group of four women and one man stand around a 6ft steel sculpture called Molly on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland. In front of the sculpture is a plaque with more details about the artwork.BBC
The sculpture has been installed on the riverside in Sunderland near the National Glass Centre

A sculpture honouring the "forgotten" women shipyard workers of Wearside has been unveiled.

The 6ft (1.8m) tall corten steel artwork, named Molly, recognises those who kept the Sunderland shipyards running while men fought in World War Two.

Education Secretary and minister for women Bridget Phillipson cut the ribbon to reveal the statue, which has been installed on the riverside opposite the National Glass Centre.

Catherine Jamieson, 95, said women like her had "kept the yards going" and said the sculpture would help a new generation understand their efforts.

Ms Jamieson - the only former woman shipyard worker to attend the unveiling - shared fond recollections of her time working in payroll for J.L. Thompson in the 1940s and 50s.

She said the sculpture - commissioned by the Sunderland Soroptomists and created by artist Ron Lawson - bore an accurate resemblance to "the girls" and how they looked at the time.

Shipbuilding started on Wearside in the 1300s and by the 1970s more than 7,500 people worked in Sunderland yards, prior to the closure of the last site in 1988.

However, the part women played is not well-recognised, experts said.

Former shipyard worker Catherine Jamieson stands on the right wearing a furry hat and a yellow scarf, with her granddaughter Angela Stevenson standing next to her wearing a black coat and a patterned scarf.
Former shipyard worker Catherine Jamieson was joined at the statue unveiling by her granddaughter Angela Stevenson

Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, said: "It's extraordinary to be able to recognise the enormous contribution women made to the shipyards, but also crucially to the war effort.

"We couldn't have had that crucial victory in the Second World War if it hadn't been for the amazing contribution of women across Wearside."

Artist Mr Lawson said it had been a labour of love.

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