Leaving the Arsenal in Woolwich for the first time in 1905

It is a picture of Woolwich which I have featured before but I think it is well worth a second look.

We are at the Arsenal Gates at the end of a shift.

And for anyone who remembers Trafford Park and in particular Metro Vicks, the scene of thousands of workers streaming out of the factory is a reminder of the importance of heavy industry to the livelihoods of millions of people in this country.

Our picture is dated 1905 and will be a scene which will be totally unfamiliar to most people in Woolwich today.

It also seems to have been a bewildering one for the young lad who sent the card to his mother after his first day at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich.

He reassures her he is fine and describes leaving by "the big gat" and comments on the size of the place.

Picture; Main Arsenal Gates & Road, July 25 1905, from the series Woolwich Town and City, courtesy of TuckDB http://tuckdb.org/history