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Time Traveller: Women bolster wartime workforce at North Vancouver shipyards

A labour shortage during the Second World War saw women taking over jobs previously held only by men
Wartime shipyards workers

This ca. 1945 photograph shows two female Burrard Dry Dock employees, Phyllis Plume (left) and Maria Bouvier. During the Second World War, a labour shortage saw women entering the workforce into jobs that were previously only held by men.

Anna Maria Bouvier (1913-2005) was born and raised in Saskatchewan. She moved out west to work at the Burrard Dry Dock shipyards. Bouvier was one of the many women who worked as a rivet passer. A riveting team consisted of five people, each with their own roles. The passer threw the red-hot rivets to the catcher.

In 1946, Bouvier married Edward Mulcahy in North Vancouver, where they settled and raised a family.

Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.

Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver ,at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open by appointment only. Contact: [email protected]

Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.

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