Rosie the Riveter: Memories of a Wartime Worker at Aircraft Repair in Edmonton, 1941, by Norah Plumley Hook

Date: July 12, 1941

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Aircraft Repair Ltd. evolved out of McKenzie Air Services. It was a facility to overhaul, repair and assemble a variety of military aircraft used as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Records show, that in April 1941, the first 25 employees moved to No. 1 Plant which was only partially completed. They were primarily employed in the assembly of Fairey Battle aircraft, which were British-made bombers.


At that time, I was employed at GWG, a garment factory, sewing coveralls and jeans. After 10 months of work, I was not enjoying the routine, the experience, or the pay. A fellow worker had heard that Aircraft Repair was hiring women, so we decided to apply. On a hot July afternoon, after our shift at the garment factory, we walked from 97 St. to the airport and aircraft Repairs' office. There we put in an application and crossed our fingers hoping for a new job.


I was hired on July 12, 1941, expecting that with sewing experience, I would be working in the fabric department. That was not meant to be. My acceptance slip read "MISC" and the starting pay 30 cents per hour. On my first day of work, I was given a badge #881, and a handbook or rules. Another girl and I were escorted to the Sheet Metal Dept. As the first girls in that department, we were being tested, "to see if girls could do Sheet Metal work." Our first job was filing - not fingernails or documents!


Seated on high stools at a wooden bench, we were each given some different sized files with teeth ranging from very fine to coarse. Beside us was a box of large metal washers. They had been stamped out by machine but had to have the rough edges smoothed. Then they were sent to the inspection department, tried on a 'jig,' and either passed, or rejected and returned for more filing. Routine job again! ...but that was only the beginning. Large metal parts that had been repaired by welding needed to be smoothed down before being sent to the paint shop and on to assembly - more filing!


In due time, we went on to many different aspects of sheet metal work. We took out dents and straightened ailerons, cowlings, flaps and undercarriages and all metal parts with equally strange names. Surprise... girls could do the job! We bucked rivets for the men and ended up using rivet guns, drill presses and huge metal sheers, as well as all small tools. We wore white coveralls and had to keep our hair tied up in a kerchief, and our sleeve cuffs taped in order to keep them from being caught in machinery. The day was divided into three eight hour shifts; day shift, swing shift, and night shift.


As time went on, the variety of planes and jobs changed. Added to the Fairey Battles were planes with such exotic names as, Anson, Harvard, Air Speed Oxford, and the odd Bolingbroke. At times we could see on the tarmac American fighters - P51s, Mustangs and P39s, and B29 Bombers - on their way to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.


I was finally given the job of making sure that the right metal parts - by number - were repaired for the particular aircraft waiting on the assembly line. Quite a responsibility! My whole Aircraft Repair experience was never boring, sometimes challenging, and always rewarding.


Here is a condensed version of my day in the Sheet Metal Department of Aircraft Repair:


'Tin Basher's' the name

Repair is the game

We are making a terrible din!

We're stretching and bending

And finally mending

Whatever is made out of tin.

Our aim is perfection

So before the inspection

Every rivet is in the right place.

All our efforts are spent

To remove every dent

Rejection would be a disgrace.

At the end of our shift

As back home we drift,

Dog tired, and a bit worse for wear,

Each woman and man

Has done all that he can

To get those planes back in the air!


Some other aspects of working at Aircraft Repair might be of interest. In 1942, a plant bulletin - later named "The Planesman" - was published. In it was news from the departments, new hirings, transfers, engagements and weddings, as well as announcements of meetings, war bond drives, social events, lost and found items, and the names of those leaving to join the armed forces.


In March 1943, a recreation association was formed. There were sports with interdepartmental and outside competition. There were baseball, softball, basketball and bowling teams, with men's, women's and mixed leagues. There were also many individual sports including tennis, bowling, wrestling, weight lifting and swimming. I played softball for the women's team. The well known wrestler, Stu Hart, was one of the organizers and coaches for sports programs. There was a variety of clubs and dances with an 'All Aircraft Repair' orchestra. I especially enjoyed the dances and bowling, and I still bowl, some 60 years later! There was a cafeteria where we could have a meal for 25 or 30 cents each. In June 1943, there was notice given that due to increased costs the new price for meals would now be 30 and 35 cents! The dances were held in the cafeteria - admission: 50 cents.


In August 1943, I married Jack Hook, one of the dreaded inspectors, and I left Aircraft Repair in 1944. By that time there were many girls working in the sheet metal department as well as other departments. They were excellent welders as they could do more delicate repairs. Women of all ages worked in the paint shop, radiator department, machine shop, wood working shop, and wherever else they were needed. My own mother worked in electrical accessories, rewiring engine harnesses... and surprise again... women could do the job!


In September 2000, I was invited to a ceremony at the Aircraft Museum. It was the dedication of the 'Angels Memorial' to honour the women in aviation. We were each presented with a lapel pin in the shape of an angel. As Marie Wright, a pilot behind the project, said in her speech, "We, in the repair field, were their Guardian Angels."