East End matchgirls walk out on strike

“The decision was taken to sack one of the women. It was at this moment that the rest of the matchgirls walked out”

Dozens of workers crammed on a grim factory floor, toxic fumes filling the air, long hours and low wages that barely covered the cost of living, dangerous machinery, and the constant threat of punishment from the foremen, both financial and physical. These were the conditions endured by the predominantly female workforce at the Bryant & May match-making factory in Bow, in the East End of London. For years, these matchgirls – and many were girls – were powerless to stand up to their employers: they were poor, uneducated, unskilled and female.

That was until one day, 5 July 1888. Angered by the unfair dismissal of one of their