AS a young girl Martha Chippindale worked as a humble weaver in a Yeadon Mill - but during her remarkable life she earned national recognition and an MBE for her charitable work. Such was her fame and the esteem in which she was held that all of the mills in her home town were closed on the day of her funeral in 1926. The townspeople turned out in their thousands to pay their respects to the woman who rose from lowly beginnings to become a Brigadier in the Salvation Army. Martha’s fascinating story is told in the archives of Aireborough Historical Society, which also give insights into the work of the Salvation Army in this area.