Lights In Darkest England

A mother and two children under nine years old, were found to be working 16 hours a day, with out lunch or tea breaks, making matches in appalling conditions for only two shillings.

The matches, which sold at 1d for 12 boxes, were made from yellow phosphorus, a poisonous substance which often brought about necrosis or 'phossy jaw' in the match-makers. Phossy jaw was a disease which ate into the bone of the jaw causing severe pain and eventually death.

In 1891, The Salvation Army opened a clean, airy, well-lit factory where harmless red phosphorus was used in the match making process. Booth called the matches 'Lights in Darkest England'. Tea making facilities were made available and the 100 workers received decent wages - more than one third above the rate in other factories.

At the same time the army launched a nationwide 'British Match Consumers League' whose members were urged to 'worry their grocer, oilmen or other shopkeeper, who does not at present stock or sell these matches, at least twice a week, until such time as he does do so'

When grocers and other shopkeepers began to stock only safety matches, commercial match factories were forced to not only improve working conditions, but also to use only the safe red phosphorous in their factories.

Ten years after the opening of his match factory, Booth closed it having achieved his original purpose 'to raise the wages of the matchmakers, to fight against sweating, and to help the poor to help themselves by labour'. He turned instead to finding other ways to help the underprivileged.