We recently saw Millie Bobby Brown embodying a reckless teenage sister in the second adaptation of Nancy Springer’s novels. As viewers, we got to experience the Victorian world through the perspective of the characters. It mainly involves Enola Holmes, who ventured to London to find her headstrong mom in the 2020 movie. However, this time, she returned as an ambitious detective who investigated the disappearance of Sarah Chapman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFXdl3ZgeMc

To many, the movie was a great amalgamation of history and fiction presented remarkably by characters. While others searched through the internet about this feminist event that took place back in the 1800s, to give fans a clear understanding of the film Stranger Things star recently brought up the real story of the Matchstick girls that she lived with in Enola Holmes 2. 

Millie Bobby Brown reveals the true story of Matchstick factory workers 

In a recent video dropped by Still Watching Netflix on social media, Millie Bobby Brown welcomes fans to get a deeper knowledge of the Matchgirls’ Strike. The video described this Strike as “one of the most important events in the history of labor organization.”

The real story started in the impoverished and unhygienic industrial area of London, where many women used to work in Bryant and May. In this matchstick making company, women and girls used to take grueling 14-hour shifts to earn five shillings a week. Even these pitiful wages were reduced further by ‘fines’ if anyone used the washroom or came untidy. The working conditions were poor while workers had to operate dangerous machinery.

Moreover, it was revealed in the video that many women lost their fingers working with the matchstick separating cutter. The depiction of phosphorus is also true as women actually died of bone cancer caused by the chemical. Also, the living conditions were severe, similar to what viewers saw in the movie, as these women were given zero importance.

However, all these acts of atrocity did came to an end after a girl was fired from the factory. Eventually, about 1,400 working women gathered strength to voice against this inhumanity. They stopped working for the company who was using them as petty objects for selfish benefits. Therefore, the strike against harsh treatment started as the workers marched towards Parliament. This caught the attention of nation and many famous writers like Charles Dickens wrote about the evils of matchmaking.

With the support of Annie Besant, a social and political activist the Matchstick girls formed trade unions. In the end, their demand of better working conditions, better wages and abolition of fines was accepted. Not just that, this single spark of protest gave many other workers in the country to speak up for their rights.

What do you think about the depiction of a life changing story? Did you liked the acting of Millie Bobby Brown as a determined young detective in Enola Holmes 2? Tell us your views in the comments!