2026 Year 6 First Prize
The Matchstick Girls by Arya
Phosphorous. One jaw died at a time. So treacherous.
The working conditions were tough
A girl with phossy jaw at a time, it was so rough.
At Bryant and May’s matchstick factory.
Hey, that’s not right.
They decided to fight.
On the 5th July 1888
They cried and bellowed out of protest.
Thank you matchstick girls for being so brave
I don’t know how many times to say it but
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
July 2026 saw the 138th anniversary of the Matchgirls Strike. On 10th July, to mark the occasion, The Matchgirls Memorial were hosted at the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives to present prizes of the annual Schools Matchgirls Poetry Competition.
Prizes were presented to the winners of this years school poetry competition from both Blue Gate Fields Junior School and William Patten Primary School. Our judges this year were Dr Anna Robinson and Fawzia Kane.
Arya won First Prize in the Year 6 category with the poem, 'The Matchstick Girls'.