Hello, my name is Pamela Ward, originally from Brightside, Sheffield. I am a professional singer and currently researching information about buffer girls for a new song. Is there anyone out there who use to be a buffer girl that I could talk to.

Just out of interest... what is a 'buffer girl' ?

Hi pamela I used to be a buffer girl when i was 15 but only for a short while but we had great fun I worked for viners and we used to wear big leather aprons. when the new boys started we used to take their trousers down and cover them in the thick black sludge they used to run like mad but we girls always caught them. boy did we have a laugh

by the way I lived on clifton street then at the back of the carbrook hall

apparently Buffer girls were quite characters,salt of the earth so to speak, but you wouldn't mess with them, they didn't stand for any nonsense.

My Grandma was a buffer girl, I wouldn't mess with her if you paid me.

The modern day incarnation are the Bassets Girls. Equally rough, equally dangerous!

ohhhhhhhh Tony we soft on inside

If you go into The Millennium Gallery you will see the history of buffer girls. 'Diamonds in Brown Paper 'as they were known as they wore brown paper aprons whilst buffing. They were the operators, all woman, that did the final buffing to the cutlery etc.

I'd suggest a quick visit to Kelham Island and the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. What I have picked up is this :

Buffer girls used to polish the cutlery made in Sheffield.
Apparently it was a very well paid job for ladies and they could often earn more than their men folk. There was always a senior lady called the Buffer Ma'am who was in charge.

But I'm happy for annie66 to correct me on this!

You could read Granny was a Buffer Girl by Berlie Doherty. She researched thoroughly and Kelham Island is very informative.

I think my nan used to be a buffer girl once upon a time, not sure it was during the war or not. She once told me that after the Sheffield Blitz that her place of work was still standing and it was work as usual.