The women who stayed at home while their men went to sea [audio 7min]

In the 18th century, Britannia ruled the waves; the British navy at its height employed 140,000 men. Many of these sailors were press-ganged into service, so who was looking after their families and businesses while they were at sea? A new study of correspondence between naval wives and husbands shows that, without women holding up morale and the home front, the imperial war effort would simply not have been possible. Margarette Lincoln, deputy director of the National Maritime Museum, joins Jane to discuss these naval women. Webpage includes photo galery.