Joyce Williams

Joyce Williams worked at the BSA factory in Small Heath, Birmingham, manufacturing Lee-Enfield rifles and Browning machine guns for the war effort. At its peak, BSA employed over 28,000 workers, many of them women. The factory was targeted by German bombers in November 1940, killing 53 workers, but production resumed within days. Joyce worked 12-hour shifts six days a week throughout the war. Her contribution exemplifies the vital role that women factory workers played in keeping Britain's armed forces supplied. She lived in Birmingham all her life and was honoured by the city council on VE Day 2020.