ABSTRACT
The Great War was fought with weapons of increasing destructive power, although the full capabilities of modern technology were never realised as the great armies of Europe fought to a standstill in the trenches of the Western and Eastern fronts. Yet, as Lloyd-George was well aware, the capability of the British military to sustain total warfare demanded the full utilisation of the nation's industrial potential; it was a 'war of machinery'. 'Business as usual', but in a modified form, and the government showed it would use its prescribed powers to indirectly influence domestic industry. Shell cases made from high tensile steel were extremely difficult to machine and required a high degree of finish and accuracy. The use of female labour was a positive response by makers to meet the need for increased supplies of munitions. In early July 1915 the Munitions of War Act placed the machine tool industry under broad government control.
