July 2 ‘Strike anywhere’

On July 2nd, the company of Bryant and May match factory fired several whistleblowers because of an article about horrible working conditions of the factory. Bryant and May were the country’s (Great Britain) largest producer of matches. That firing lead to a strike of over 1400 employees. After three weeks, the business agreed to changes in working conditions, and the strike also led to the Union of Women Matchmakers.

Match business was a big deal. Millions of matches were made every day. Working conditions were getting worse in 1880’s. Bryant and May had bought out many of their competitors, and with new machinery, offered wages lower than they had twelve years before. They also used white phosphorus, that would cause “phossy jaw” or phosphorus necrosis, a deterioration of the lower jaw. Workers would inhale phosphorus fumes.

White phosphorus caused this disease, Red phosphorus or amorphous would not. However, red phosphorus was four times more expensive. A pound of white phosphorus could make one million matches. With millions of matches produced every workshift, there was a great deal of phosphorus used.

I have the book “100 Years of Phosphorus making 1851-1951” by R.E. Threlfall, 1952. It was privately printed about the Albright & Wilson company that were the only makers of Phosphorus in Great Britain, for 100 years. The book goes much into the process of making phosphorus, the uses, and the sales to various businesses.

Later, it goes into the history of matches, also called Lucifers. White phosphorus matches could strike anywhere. Red phosphorus matchers were safety matches, the red phosphorus was actually put in the sandpaper striker.

The book also explained the use of phosphorus for various incendiary bombs. There is much on phosphorus munitions in the book.

I’ll end with a match holder that I have from my Grandfather’s workshop. It was always full of matches that my brother and I would use when burning leaves in his yard. After raking the leaves into a big pile (there were several designated “burn” areas”-he had several acres of trees and yard), we would grab a dish soap bottle full of gas, and a few matches, both from the workshop. A quick squirt of gas to the pile of leaves, and then “Fwwaammp” when a lit match hit the gas soaked leaves. While we got paid for raking leaves for our grandfather, that sound of igniting gas was what we really did the work for. We could never play with fire at home.

What a different time. Thanks for reading.