Woman cropped hair and used stick-on moustache to get man's job

The patriotic middle-aged widow, known only as Mrs Ogle, pulled off her disguise for three days before being found out by detectives.

Her amazing exploits were spotted by First World War researcher Peter Schofield, of Rampside, in Dundee People’s Journal on Saturday, May 1, in 1915.

The paper noted: “In adopting this extraordinary measure to obtain work she was actuated quite as much by a patriotic desire as that of helping her family.

“Mrs Ogle is a middle-aged woman who has been married twice.

“Her first husband died 25 years ago, while her second husband passed away only three months after the wedding.”

She told reporters: “I have been trying since January to get work in the shell shop at Vickers, as I thought I would like to do something for the war.

“I would go up in an airship today if I thought I could drop a bomb on the Kaiser.”

She bought a second-hand suit of men’s clothes and new overalls, put on a wig and went to the shipyard gates along with other men seeking a job.

Mrs Ogle was taken on as a labourer in the timber yard.

She then cropped her hair, discarded the wig and got a false moustache.

Mrs Ogle said: “The day I started, I worked overtime until 8.20 pm, having been hard at it from 6am.

“I was working with a gang of men.

“The second day I worked from 6am to 5pm.”

On the third day she was being watched by a suspicious detective and knew the game was up.

She was called into an office, questioned and admitted what she had done.

After three hours at the police station she was released.

Mrs Ogle’s work was lifting heavy planks and she said: “I felt tired at nights after working all day, and I get my hands knocked about a bit.

“If you are not careful they get pinched.”

Establishing the identity of Mrs Ogle has provide difficult.

In the 1911 census there is only one Ogle living in Barrow.

James Ogle, 63, was a boarder at 29 Keith Street.

He was a labourer, born at County Down, Ireland.