Idle Women of the Waterways by Charlotte Oliver Partial recording by Charlotte Oliver A full recording can be purchased on Bandcamp where more of Charlotte’s songs can be heard I don't stick to rules, never comfy in a crowd I knew a khaki uniform was not for me Then I heard they needed women on the narrowboats Found myself in headscarf and dungarees Jumper issued by the Inland Waterways I W written large across me chest 'Idle Women' that's what they're calling us Hurtful, though we knew that it was said in jest. Idle women, that's what they're calling us Though we're working all the livelong day Steering boats whilst dodging bombs and doodle bugs. We're the Idle Women of the Waterways What a crew we were, debutantes and duchesses And young girls who'd been bombed out from the old East End Never steered a boat, soon we would be taking them From London to the Midlands and then home again First of all they showed us round our narrowboats Poky little cabin, couldn't find the loo "Well, there's a war on ladies, let me put it nicely It's bucket girls and chuck it girls That's what you'll have to do" Down at Limehouse early in the morning Loading up with 50 tons of steel a time Then cast off whilst dodging bombs and doodle bugs I was glad to leave poor London Town behind. Up the Union heading for the Midlands Heinz and Glaxo needed all we've got Unload at the factory, then it's off to Coventry Heap her up with coal to do the homeward trot There's so much to do, no time to admire the view Winding up the paddles on those big lock gates Pump the bilge and splice the ropes, any problem you just cope But keep on moving onwards girl you can't be late Sometimes we pass land girls in their corduroys Wave at them but underneath our breath say "Damn" Cos they get extra rations, not us idle women For breakfast lunch and tea we're eating Spam, Spam, Spam. There were summer days when the war seemed far away Waiting as a horse-drawn barge went slowly by Brightly painted red and green, stern to bow the brasses gleam Floating gently underneath an cloudless sky When peace comes then I'll go back to London If they ask me where I've been I'll smile and say "I pumped the bilge and spliced the ropes, Any problem I just coped, I was an Idle Woman of the Waterways. Many thanks to Charlotte Oliver for providing the lyrics to this lovely song. Performed by Tony Wilson at the Bridge Folk Club, Newcastle, 6 Oct 2023 The ‘Land Girls’ were women who volunteered to work the land during World War Two to aid the war effort. Their canal-based equivalents were far fewer in number and perhaps less well known. They were known as the ‘Idle Women’. The nickname came from the initials ‘IW’, for Inland Waterways, which were displayed on the badges of these women who volunteered to operate canal barges which carried vital supplies through the country’s waterway network. Idle they most certainly were not. The diesel-powered narrowboats, each one towing its butty boat, were handled by a crew of three women. Idle these women most certainly were not; the work was hard with each pair of boats carrying heavy loads of up to 50 tons – mainly steel from London to Birmingham. They would return to the capital laden with Warwickshire coal which had to be shovelled directly on to canalside factory wharves. For this round trip of some three weeks on board consisting of 18-20 hour days, the ‘girls’ were paid £3 per week, with the option of a week’s unpaid leave afterwards. Unlike the Land Girls, they received no extra rations subsisting on “cocoa with condensed milk, national loaf and peanut butter”. Many of these women were barely into their twenties, and most had no boating experience; each receiving just six weeks training at the start of their posting. They came from all walks of life; debutantes, bombed out East-enders and even a soon-to-be duchess operated the boats. One of the trainers, Kit Grayford, was a former ballet dancer. The Department of War Transport’s only requirement was that young women who applied had to be 'of robust constitution'. The women, aged from 18 to about 35, worked on the canals and waterways of England between 1943-46. Unlike the Land Girls, the Idle Women have never received any official recognition for their contribution to the war effort, although there is a plaque in their honour located at the National Waterways Museum in Stoke Bruerne.
Idle Women of the Waterways by Charlotte Oliver Partial recording by Charlotte Oliver A full recording can be purchased on Bandcamp where more of Charlotte’s songs can be heard I don't stick to rules, never comfy in a crowd I knew a khaki uniform was not for me Then I heard they needed women on the narrowboats Found myself in headscarf and dungarees Jumper issued by the Inland Waterways I W written large across me chest 'Idle Women' that's what they're calling us Hurtful, though we knew that it was said in jest. Idle women, that's what they're calling us Though we're working all the livelong day Steering boats whilst dodging bombs and doodle bugs. We're the Idle Women of the Waterways What a crew we were, debutantes and duchesses And young girls who'd been bombed out from the old East End Never steered a boat, soon we would be taking them From London to the Midlands and then home again First of all they showed us round our narrowboats Poky little cabin, couldn't find the loo "Well, there's a war on ladies, let me put it nicely It's bucket girls and chuck it girls That's what you'll have to do" Down at Limehouse early in the morning Loading up with 50 tons of steel a time Then cast off whilst dodging bombs and doodle bugs I was glad to leave poor London Town behind. Up the Union heading for the Midlands Heinz and Glaxo needed all we've got Unload at the factory, then it's off to Coventry Heap her up with coal to do the homeward trot There's so much to do, no time to admire the view Winding up the paddles on those big lock gates Pump the bilge and splice the ropes, any problem you just cope But keep on moving onwards girl you can't be late Sometimes we pass land girls in their corduroys Wave at them but underneath our breath say "Damn" Cos they get extra rations, not us idle women For breakfast lunch and tea we're eating Spam, Spam, Spam. There were summer days when the war seemed far away Waiting as a horse-drawn barge went slowly by Brightly painted red and green, stern to bow the brasses gleam Floating gently underneath an cloudless sky When peace comes then I'll go back to London If they ask me where I've been I'll smile and say "I pumped the bilge and spliced the ropes, Any problem I just coped, I was an Idle Woman of the Waterways. Many thanks to Charlotte Oliver for providing the lyrics to this lovely song. Performed by Tony Wilson at the Bridge Folk Club, Newcastle, 6 Oct 2023 The ‘Land Girls’ were women who volunteered to work the land during World War Two to aid the war effort. Their canal-based equivalents were far fewer in number and perhaps less well known. They were known as the ‘Idle Women’. The nickname came from the initials ‘IW’, for Inland Waterways, which were displayed on the badges of these women who volunteered to operate canal barges which carried vital supplies through the country’s waterway network. Idle they most certainly were not. The diesel-powered narrowboats, each one towing its butty boat, were handled by a crew of three women. Idle these women most certainly were not; the work was hard with each pair of boats carrying heavy loads of up to 50 tons – mainly steel from London to Birmingham. They would return to the capital laden with Warwickshire coal which had to be shovelled directly on to canalside factory wharves. For this round trip of some three weeks on board consisting of 18-20 hour days, the ‘girls’ were paid £3 per week, with the option of a week’s unpaid leave afterwards. Unlike the Land Girls, they received no extra rations subsisting on “cocoa with condensed milk, national loaf and peanut butter”. Many of these women were barely into their twenties, and most had no boating experience; each receiving just six weeks training at the start of their posting. They came from all walks of life; debutantes, bombed out East-enders and even a soon-to-be duchess operated the boats. One of the trainers, Kit Grayford, was a former ballet dancer. The Department of War Transport’s only requirement was that young women who applied had to be 'of robust constitution'. The women, aged from 18 to about 35, worked on the canals and waterways of England between 1943-46. Unlike the Land Girls, the Idle Women have never received any official recognition for their contribution to the war effort, although there is a plaque in their honour located at the National Waterways Museum in Stoke Bruerne.
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