The matchgirls' strike...

In Enola Holmes 2, staring Milie Bobby brown as Enola Homes solving the case of missing matchgirl Sarah Chapman portrayed by Hannah Dodd. In the real life, Sarah Chapman is more than match girl, she led the Matchgirls Strike which became the first ever industrial action taken by women.

In 1888 the match girls employed by the company Bryant & May in the east end of London went on strike due to their horrible working condition and low wages. The fumes from the phosphorous used to make matches were poisonous. Workers could get necrosis or ‘phossy jaw’, a form of bone cancer. It began with pain and swelling in the teeth and jaw, then foul-smelling pus formed. The jaw turned green and black as the bone rotted away and, without surgery, death could be the result.

With the support of some of the press and the generosity of the public, money was collected to aid the striking women. Many people stopped buying Bryant & May matches.  This was the first time a union of unskilled workers had succeeded in striking for better pay and working conditions in London.

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