The sold out brooch created specifically to thank the women who helped during the war

The Royal British Legion has produced a very special brooch to say 'thank you' for the massive contribution made by women in the First World War.

Women played a huge role in the war effort and demonstrated that they were the physical and intellectual equal of men, from being nurses in field hospitals to working in dangerous munitions factories.

Women in those days were expected to be mothers, carers and homemakers, but with men leaving to fight in the war, women had to take on the jobs of those who were serving. By the end of the war nearly three million women worked in factories.

For the first time large numbers of women worked in the civil service, business, banks, shops, transport and farming. Many women who had been in solitary occupations prior to the war, such as domestic service, revelled in the “sisterhood” of larger groups.

The role of women in the war fundamentally changed how society regarded them and in 1918 around 8.5 million women were given the vote, following the actions of the suffragette movement.

The Women of the War brooch is dedicated to the memory of the courageous women who served and lost their lives as a direct result of the First World War.

Each brooch comes with a certificate commemorating the life of one brave woman and also acts as a way of saying 'thank you' to all the women that ultimately went on to change society and women’s place within it.

All profits raised from the sale of the brooches goes directly to the Royal British Legion and its work.

The Royal British Legion is the nation's biggest Armed Forces charity providing care and support to members of the British Armed Forces and their families. It is well known for the annual Poppy Appeal, and its emblem the red poppy.

The Women of the War brooch is now sold out but you can still order the standard poppy brooches in time for Remembrance Day on Sunday November 11.

Official Poppy brooches are available from The Royal British Legion’s official online shop www.poppyshop.org.uk