WOMEN whose war-time work at the munitions factory in Rotherwas, Hereford, turned them yellow is the subject that will be highlighted at the next Ross Civic Society meeting,

The Rotherwas Royal Ordnance Factory opened in 1916 as a munitions filling factory and became one of the largest explosive filling sites in the UK.

It covered more than 300 acres and comprised more than 370 buildings. Employing mainly women, the so-called ‘munitionettes’, whose skin and hair turned yellow from contact with TNT chemicals, later became known as The Canary Girls.

The Ross-on-Wye Civic Society organise monthly talks about local topics, either historical or current. The next meeting is this Wednesday, February 11 at the Larruperz centre and the talk will be given by Angela Williams.

Meetings are generally held at the Larruperz centre on the second Wednesday of the month, starting at 7.30pm.

Doors open at 7:00pm. A charge of £5 is made for a single meeting or free for members (paying £25 for the year), or guests under 18 years.

Details of events for 2026 can be found at rosscivic.org.uk.