NORTH-EAST munitions workers will be among those honoured by the first national memorial to the role of women in the Second World War.

Nearly £1m has been awarded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund to construct the monument, it was announced yesterday.

It will stand near the Cenotaph in Whitehall, in central London, and pay tribute to the seven million service and civilian women who took part in the war effort.

That includes about 14,000 women who worked at a munitions plant, close to Aycliffe Village, County Durham, making bombs and bullets at the height of the war.

The work of the women, known as the Aycliffe Angels, went unrecognised for almost 50 years until The Northern Echo launched a campaign

A bronze sculpture, measuring 22ft high, 16ft long and 6ft wide, is due to be completed in 2005, 60 years after the end of the conflict.

A lengthy campaign for a permanent tribute was supported by former House of Commons Speaker Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the Princess Royal and forces' sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn.

Among those in London yesterday to hear an announcement that the memorial had received the go-ahead was former wartime gunner Edna Selby, from North Yorkshire.

Baroness Boothroyd said: "I cannot tell you how proud I am to finally see a memorial to the wonderful women who contributed so much to the war effort."