Dear Diary

Today I had to get up at 5.00 a.m. I could hardly walk to the factory. It is an ugly black building and it stinks of rotten eggs.

Our work starts at 6.00 a.m. We get 2 shillings a week, but we don't even get paid for the first three days! You'd think we were slaves.

When I went in I was told I was a piecer. I have to watch thousands of machines and when the thread breaks I have to piece it together. It stings your hands like mad. You'd never have seen me doing this in Culmailie, but we have to do it here.

A girl called Maggie works beside me, she's really kind. we were talking about work, when the overseer saw us. He got his massive leather strap and hit Maggie with it, it must have been agony. At lunch I couldn't eat my piece, I was too exhausted. Maggie gave me some water though. Then the whistle blew again and we went back into the building. On the way in there is a sign. It has 21 rules, if you break one you get fined!

After lunch I was almost falling onto the machines. My dress got ripped on it. Maggie says a boy had his arms ripped off in the machinery and he lived for 24 hours after!

At 7.30 p.m. the whistle blew and we trudged slowly home.