They were dubbed Chilwell canaries
Because of their yellow hue
But they served their country faithfully
So give the girls their due

They served not in the trenches
Yet faced dangers many ways
One spark could bring disaster
And mean the end of days

Concocting and encasing
A devils brew of death
Being poisoned and enfeebled
With each polluted breath

With patriotic fervour
They served their country’s cause
Creating means of mass destruction
For the war to end all wars

Each gruelling twelve hour workday
Was a daily dance with death
And one day when the music stopped
They took their final breath

In the final year of World War One
On the first day of July
It was a lovely summers evening
And hopes were riding high

One shift had not long ended
And another took its place
Not knowing on that fatal day
The carnage they would face

In the blink of an eye
Or r the sound of a sigh
A tremendous explosion
Condemned many to die

Heroes and heroines abounded
Throughout that summers night
In a desperate search and rescue
Until the morning light

A harrowing procession
Choked the roads into the city
Carrying burnt and broken bodies
That brought forth onlookers pity

The cranes no longer clatter
There labours now are oe’r
But it was there selfless sacrifice
That helped to win the war

United in Attenborough churchyard
In tranquil peace they rest
Chilwell girls and Derby men
The V.C. factory’s best