MIRIAM Lye was just 18 years old when she started at ROF Swynnerton and soon she had worked her way up to fitting detonators inside shells.

"If one went off, we had to stand still until they came to us," she recalled. "One girl had her thumb blown off in an accident."

It was the Second World War and this ammunition, made in the giant factory near Stone, was destined for the front line. Sometimes soldiers got more than they bargained for when they opened up the boxes.

Miriam, now aged 86, from Smallthorne, said: "When we used to pack the bullets, we put letters in them to the soldiers and sailors. They would say things like, 'Keep them on the run', 'We all love you', and 'Well done lads, we are here for you'.

"Some people even later married the soldiers they had written to."

Miriam, pictured below, still has vivid memories of her time at ROF Swynnerton. And last night she got to relive those old days when she attended a Remembrance Sunday dinner at the Fitzherbert Arms, in Swynnerton.

It was organised in honour of the so-called Swynnerton Roses and 38 of the former factory workers, along with their relatives, went for a free meal and the chance to catch up with wartime comrades. The event also included a collection for the Royal British Legion's poppy appeal.

Miriam said: "It has been marvellous coming here. It made my day when I saw someone I knew."

At its height, ROF Swynnerton employed tens of thousands of people, who played a vital role in ensuring British troops had enough firepower.

But the girls who were 'called up' to work at the factory were often oblivious to the danger around them.

The factory itself was a potential target for German bombers, although it was shrouded from view from the air because of the smog wafting over from the nearby Potteries.

Miriam would board a train from Hanley, straight through to Swynnerton, to get to work there in the 1940s.

"All the girls were part of a community and there was a closeness between us," said Miriam. "They were very dangerous days, but they were very happy days."

At last night's dinner, the Swynnerton Roses finally got the recognition they deserved for their brave role on the Home Front.

Lord Stafford, right, whose family estate covers much of Swynnerton and originally included the factory site, read out a special letter sent on behalf of the Queen.

The letter said the Queen was pleased to hear of the dinner, which would "celebrate the important contribution made by the ladies", and she wanted to send them her regards.

Lord Stafford is now hoping for a further honour – the creation of a rose garden in Swynnerton.

Rachel Brennan and her partner John Dalton, who run the Fitzherbert Arms and came up with the idea for the dinner, are also trying to arrange for a real-life rose to be named after the Swynnerton Roses. It could eventually grow in the memorial garden.

The pair took over the pub earlier this year and wanted to build on its community spirit by inviting back the ladies who were once an important part of village life.

Rachel said: "Some of the ladies were saying how the explosions at the factory went off next to them and they never knew if they were going to go home at night."