Bridget Ann Knockwood

One of the 4,000 women who built Canada’s naval force

Bridget Ann Knockwood, who later married to take the name Francis, was a Mi’kmaw woman who helped to build Canada’s naval fleet during the Second World War.

Approximately 4,000 women took up work in shipbuilding, working side by side with their male counterparts at shipyards along both coasts and the St Lawrence River. In 1943, women made up roughly one-third of the employees at the Pictou, Nova Scotia ship yard where Knockwood worked. The yard built 24 Park-class cargo ships for Canada’s Merchant Navy.

Women were not warmly welcomed into the shipbuilding industry – they were treated as intruders into a man’s world. However, female ship builders won the respect of their male colleagues with their hard work and dedication.

Knockwood is an example of one of the countless women who contributed to the Allies’ victory. Many Indigenous historical accounts are kept through oral traditions, and therefore there are few written records of their contributions. The passing down of knowledge through generations provides vital accounts of the contributions of Bridget Ann Knockwood, or Mrs. Francis, and other inspiring Indigenous women like her.

More information:

• Women in wartime shipyards break gender barriers
• Museum of North Vancouver: A riveted community: North Vancouver’s wartime shipbuilding
• Scout Vancouver: How 1,000 Vancouver Women Fought World War II from the North Shore