{"product_id":"a-penny-a-shell-antony-john-bell-9781919375106","title":"A Penny a Shell: Based on the true story of the Barnbow Lasses","description":"\u003cp\u003eSet against the smoke and iron of wartime Leeds, \u003cstrong\u003eA Penny a Shell\u003c\/strong\u003e is a sweeping, character-driven tale inspired by the true events of the \u003cstrong\u003eBarnbow munitions factory\u003c\/strong\u003e-a vital part of Britain's \u003cstrong\u003eWorld War I home front\u003c\/strong\u003e and the site of the devastating \u003cstrong\u003eRoom 42 explosion\u003c\/strong\u003e of 1916. Blending meticulous research with moving storytelling, Antony J Bell brings to life the extraordinary women known as the \u003cstrong\u003eBarnbow Lasses\u003c\/strong\u003e, whose work powered Britain's artillery and whose sacrifice remained hidden for decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the winter of 1916, thousands of women from across Yorkshire streamed into the factory each day, their hands stained by TNT, their pay packets supporting families torn apart by war. Among them are three unforgettable protagonists: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Jennings\u003c\/strong\u003e, a sharp-tongued single mother from York, juggling exhaustion, humour, and the constant fear for her sailor son;\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEliza Wren\u003c\/strong\u003e, a determined charge hand navigating debt, leadership, and the crushing responsibility of keeping her team safe;\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eLucy Atkinson\u003c\/strong\u003e, a quiet seventeen-year-old Leeds girl mourning a brother killed with the Leeds Pals, seeking purpose amid grief.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside the factory's strict, high-pressure system-where a single mistake can ignite catastrophe-their seven-woman team confronts the relentless pace of shell production. As the demand for armaments rises, so does the personal and physical cost. TNT dust yellows their skin, illness shadows their steps, and the promise of a penny bonus per shell pushes them to dangerous limits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough vivid detail and compelling emotional depth, \u003cstrong\u003eA Penny a Shell\u003c\/strong\u003e explores themes of \u003cstrong\u003efemale resilience in wartime\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eBritish working-class life in 1916\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the overlooked role of women in industrial warfare. This is not a battlefield novel, but a story of courage on the factory floor, where patriotism, poverty, friendship, and desperation intersect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the tragic \u003cstrong\u003emunitions factory explosion\u003c\/strong\u003e strikes, the lives of Sarah, Eliza, Lucy, and their coworkers are changed forever-echoing the real events that claimed 35 women's lives and were kept from the public by wartime censorship. Their sacrifice, once forgotten, is honoured here with remarkable humanity and grace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers who love \u003cem\u003eThe Alice Network\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Nightingale\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Glovemaker\u003c\/em\u003e, or deeply rooted regional stories of women whose lives shaped history, \u003cstrong\u003eA Penny a Shell\u003c\/strong\u003e is a moving tribute to the resilience of the \u003cstrong\u003eforgotten women of WWI\u003c\/strong\u003e and a gripping portrait of Yorkshire's role in the Great War.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Antony John Bell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1919375104\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781919375106\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Goldfish\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/12\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 278\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.64lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.63d","brand":"Antony John Bell","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48517082480895,"sku":"9781919375106","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_f01c0d34-fae1-4226-b9f4-9f78ec880745.jpg?v=1778729779","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-penny-a-shell-antony-john-bell-9781919375106","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}