Betty Cartwright

Betty Cartwright worked at the BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) factory in Small Heath during the war, manufacturing Lee-Enfield rifles and Browning machine guns. She was 15 when she started work at the factory in 1939, joining thousands of Birmingham women who kept Britain's arms production running. During the Birmingham Blitz of November 1940, the BSA factory was hit by Luftwaffe bombers, killing 53 workers. Betty was on the night shift when the bombs fell but survived by sheltering in the factory cellar. She continued working at BSA until the end of the war, producing over 10,000 rifles during her service.