A PROJECT is set to compile a complete record of the names and stories of those who worked at a munitions factory in Rotherwas during both world wars.

The Rotherwas ROF Front Line Duty Project, working with the Rotherwas Munitions Group and the Ministry of Defence, are appealing for people with information about anyone who worked at factory to get in touch.

The two-year project, which has Heritage Lottery Funding, will honour the contribution of the women who worked at the factory and will create a digital archive about the factory and its workers.

A series of community events are also planned, as well as work with local schools.

The Rotherwas National Filling Factory (NFF No14, Hereford) was built in haste in 1916, halfway through the First World War.

Records suggest that about 8,000 munitionettes worked at Rotherwas during the First World War, drawn from all over the UK, and making up to 95,000 shells a week.

For many, the move to Hereford was hugely liberating; the wage packet (albeit less than half as generous as their male counterparts) and the need to live away from home gave them a freedom which had not been dreamed of before the war.

Employees were billeted in Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and the surrounding villages, and some took three hours just to travel to and from work, either side of a 10-12 hour shift.

Unlike many other filling factories, Rotherwas was kept open after the First World War and was refurbished in secret ahead of the Second World War – this time with the title of Royal Ordnance Factory No 4, Hereford (ROF No4).

Employees were again predominantly female – estimates vary widely between 3,500 and 10,000 – but this time conscription meant there was much more of a social mix of women, and living conditions were far better, including provision of crèches and travel allowances.

Early in the morning of July 27 1942, a lone German bomber dropped its bomb load of several 250lb bombs after circling the site.

The first bomb landed on Holme Lacy Road killing at least 22 people and injuring 24. The second hit a transit shed and exploded, while the third was deflected into Moorlands Villas where five family members were killed.

It was the home of the Munitions Police Superintendent Ernest Hursey and his wife, Vera. Ken Hursey, their teenage son was the only survivor.

If you know of someone who worked at the Rotherwas munitions factory, the project would like to hear details about their role and experiences and/or any Rotherwas artefacts, documents or photographs you may have.

Call Angela on 01432 260750 or email rotherwasrof@herefordshire.gov.uk and visit facebook.com/rotherwasrofproject