Bessie (Hutchison) McVey

In 1941, at just twenty years old, Bessie McVey stepped into one of the most dangerous wartime roles on the Canadian home front. She worked at the GECO munitions plant in Scarborough as a fuse filler, handling high explosives that would be sent overseas to support Canada’s war effort. Like so many women of her generation, she never focused on the danger—she simply believed in doing her part.

Before entering the “clean area” of the plant, Bessie had to undergo strict safety inspections. She and the other women were required to strip down to their bra and pants and pass between two female inspectors to ensure they carried no jewelry, bobby pins, or anything that could spark an explosion. Only after passing inspection could she put on her GECO uniform and special shoes and begin her shift.

Bessie often spoke of how her skin turned yellow from the explosive powder she handled each day. At the time, her daughter Carol heard the stories—but, like many children, she didn’t fully understand the gravity of what her mother had done. It was only later that she recognized the courage and sacrifice behind those memories.

During the war, Bessie’s three brothers were overseas, as was her fiancé, who would later become Carol’s father. With the men she loved serving in harm’s way, Bessie chose to stand in solidarity with them by taking on dangerous war work at home. She never sought recognition—she simply wanted to help.

Carol shares how the Bomb Girls Banner Program has brought her mother’s service into full light:

“My mom was 20 years old when she went to work at GECO. She worked with high explosives, and her skin was always yellow from the powder. I wish I had really listened back when she talked about this important part of her life. I didn’t understand what she did in 1941. My mom’s three brothers were overseas, and so was my dad, her fiancé at the time. She just wanted to do her part.”

In Carol’s home stands a Military Table, long adorned with photos of the men in her family who served: grandfathers, father, five uncles, her husband, and two grandsons. After the Bomb Girls reception, she received a framed script thanking her mother for her service. She placed it on the Military Table—this time with a photograph of Bessie—where, as Carol says, “it should have been all along.”

“I am the proud daughter of a Bomb Girl. Thank you, Mom.”

Today, Bessie McVey is remembered as one of the thousands of courageous Canadian women whose wartime labour supported victory overseas and reshaped the opportunities of generations to come. Her service reminds us that the story of the Second World War is not complete without the women who risked their lives every day in factories here at home.

We Will Remember Them