A Community on the Edge

The men and women who made explosives for the First World War risked their lives at work to provide a good living for themselves and their families. A job in the powderyards could support a comfortable lifestyle, withe free or inexpensive housing, schools and churches, and the companionship of neighbors. The war extended the life of this hundred-year-old factory, giving a temporary reprieve to a way of life that was rapidly fading. In our third episode, we learn about the communities and home life that this work supported—and the surprising rituals of this tight-knit group of workers' villages.