First 'Woman of Steel' campaigner dies aged 103

Kathleen Roberts campaigned for the recognition of women in Sheffield's steelworks during World War Two

Tributes have been paid to the first "Women of Steel" campaigner who sought recognition for the contributions made by women in Sheffield during the Second World War.

Kathleen Roberts, a former steelworker during the war, died on 14 November aged 103.

Her efforts alongside other campaigners raised more than £160,000 to pay for a bronze sculpture dedicated to the city's female steelworkers, which was unveiled in Barker's Pool in 2016.

Speaking in 2013 she said: "We deserve it, we worked long, hard hours during the war and we were all only in our early 20s - much of our youth was taken away."

She was also invited alongside three other women to be personally thanked by former prime minister Gordon Brown for their efforts, and was given an honorary degree in engineering by the University of Sheffield in 2022.

The Women of Steel statue in Barker's Pool was unveiled in 2016

Author Michelle Rawlins, who wrote the biographical book Women of Steel featuring Ms Roberts - and a subsequent fictional series called The Steel Girls - called her "inspirational".

"Those steel factories would not have been able to produce all the machinery the Allied forces needed without this generation of women who, until this point, were seen as housewives, mums, or who had menial jobs," she said.

"Kathleen was very passionate that these women were recognised, because for 70 years, nobody did.

"They realised if they didn't tell these stories, they were going to be forgotten."

Ms Rawlins said Ms Roberts had first contacted the local media to publicise her campaign, but "came off the phone and cried because she thought she made a fool of herself".

"She never envisioned what that call would turn into."

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