With the increase in war workers, and fewer motorised vehicles, the cycle industry’s home market improved. More women could now afford a bicycle, which were particularly useful for commuting to factories when doing shift work or working in areas with infrequent public transport. In the old days, workers had been housed with their families close to the factories that employed them; but the new emergency work required for the war effort often necessitated longer journeys…
– Bad Teeth No Bar: History of Military Bicycles in the Great War, by Colin Kirsch
I used the Rudge-Whitworth Lady’s Crescent in my Book, to illustrate, as per the advertisement above, a bicycle that would have been used by a female war worker.
1914 Rudge-Whitworth Lady’s Crescent
Model 6141 with Coaster brake
with accessory umbrella fitting to front fork
Rudge-Whitworth ‘No 700’ saddle
25″ Frame
28″ Wheels
1914 RUDGE-WHITWORTH CATALOGUE EXTRACTS
PHOTOSHOOT LOCATION: There are very few 100-year-old industrial areas in Brighton, suitable to photograph a bicycle used for wartime factory transportation. These photos were taken behind Brighton station.