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A selection of Warhammer miniatures arranged on a table.

Warhammer Taster Day

By Archive

A free activity for anyone who enjoys Warhammer at The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

When is Warhammer Taster Day?

Tuesday 28th July 2026

Drop in and join us any time between 11am to 3.30pm.

What to Expect at This Event

Join some of the regulars from our weekly Warhammer Club and discover this hobby packed with amazing armies and weird creatures. You will be able to try out building and painting a miniature figure and join in with some tabletop battles which will be underway throughout the day.  We’ll have activities for Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000.

Drop in any time between 11am and 3.30pm.  This activity is free of charge.  Usual admission applies for those wishing to visit the main museum displays.

 

You might also be interested in…

A graphic which reads Poster Printing and Zany Zines. The word Zines is made out of a collage of letters. There is some printed paint, hand drawn stars and a sun cut out of paper.

Poster Printing and Zany Zines

By Archive

A free family drop in creative activity at The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

What is Poster Printing and Zany Zines?

Wednesday 29th July 2026

Drop in and join us any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm and 3.30pm for this free activity.

What to Expect from Poster Printing and Zany Zines?

Take inspiration from famous wartime posters and create your own design to print with ink.  Then produce a folded zine with your own news or story.

Drop in any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm and 3.30pm. These family activities are free, usual admission prices apply to visit the main museum displays.

You might also be interested in…

A Princess Mary tin sent to soldiers overseas in 1914 as a Christmas present from the nation. This was because of a fund started by Princess Mary (the daughter of King George V and Queen Mary) for this purpose. The tin has patterns on it including the words "Christmas 1914" and Princess Mary's profile.

Mini Treasure Boxes

By Archive

When is Mini Treasure Boxes?

Wednesday 5th August 2026

Drop in and join us any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm to 3.30pm.

What to Expect from Mini Treasure Boxes?

Design your own container for tiny trinkets by decorating and converting a matchbox into a mini treasure chest. You’ll be able to take a look at a Princess Mary tin from World War One for inspiration at this family friendly activity.

Drop in any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm and 3.30pm. These family activities are free, usual admission prices apply to visit the main museum displays.

You might also be interested in…

A red Zentangle drawing. This is drawing is a figure of eight shape with a mixture of different patterns inside it.

Zentangle Drawing

By Archive

When is Zentangle Drawing?

Thursday 6th August 2026

Drop in and join us any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm and 3.30pm.

What is Zentangle Drawing?

Join us for a session of mindfulness and drawing as you discover the world of Zentangles. These repeating patterns can be viewed from any angle and are very relaxing to create. We’ll help you learn some of the basic patterns and you can then produce your own unique artwork. All ages welcome for a chilled session of drawing.

Just drop in any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm and 3pm. This activity is free of charge. Usual admission applies for those wishing to visit the main museum displays.

You might also be interested in…

The Mossband Swifts women's football team at H.M. Factory Gretna arranged in three rows. Some of the image has been colourised in a paint splat shape while the rest is in black and white.

Tinted Postcards and Watercolour Scenes

By Archive

A free family art activity at The Devil’s Porridge Museum!

When is Tinted Postcards and Watercolour Scenes?

Thursday 13th August 2026

Drop in any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm to 3.30pm.

What is Tinted Postcards and Watercolour Scenes?

Discover how some of the black and white postcards in the museum’s collection were colourised, try out some tinting techniques yourself and then relax with painting your own watercolour artworks.

Drop in any time between 11am and 12.30pm or 2pm and 3.30pm. These family activities are free, usual admission prices apply to visit the main museum displays.

You might also be interested in…

A sign for the Scotia Crafters pointing through the open door of The Devil's Porridge Museum's education room in which tables of local crafts are displayed.

Scotia Crafters 2026

By Archive

When?

Sunday 16th August to Sunday 30th August 2026

10am – 4pm

(Open from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 16th August to allow for setting up!)

Where?

The Devil’s Porridge Museum’s Education Room.

Entry into the Scotia Crafters exhibition ONLY is free. Admission prices will still apply for anyone visiting to look around The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

What?

Looking for the perfect handmade gift, or perhaps just that special something? Come along and see the Scotia Crafters at The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

We’re delighted them back in the museum again this year. The Scotia Crafters will have an Arts and Crafts Market of quality, local, handmade, crafts within The Devil’s Porridge Museum. This will include:

  • Hand knits;
  • Jewellery;
  • Soaps and Body Care;
  • Needle felting;
  • Crochet art;
  • Cards;
  • Unique gifts;
  • And much more!

Our team at The Devil’s Porridge Museum always love to see the beautiful handmade items the Scotia Crafters have, so maybe you will too?

Entry into the Scotia Crafters’ Arts and Crafts Market is free. For those wishing to explore The Devil’s Porridge Museum,  our usual admission prices apply.

 

Who are the Scotia Crafters?

The Scotia Crafters is a collective of artists, makers and craftspeople, all based in Dumfries and Galloway Scotland.

You can find the Scotia Crafters on Facebook here>

Below are some photos of the Scotia Crafters, Arts and Craft Market from 2025 to give you some idea of what you might be able to expect this year. Please be aware that the crafts and gifts available do vary each year, but you’ll be sure to find something unique! Why not start on your Christmas shopping or treat yourself?

Members of the Women's Police Force stood up straight in neat rows in front of a timber building. There is a sign on this building which reads Woman's Police Barracks No. 3. This is a black and white archive photo from the past.

Worker of the Week: Lottie Moore

By Collections blog

Worker of the Week is a series of blog posts which highlights the workers at H.M. Factory Gretna that our volunteers researched for The Miracle Workers Project. This project aimed to centralise all of the 30,000 people who worked at the factory during World War One and, although it may be over, our amazing research volunteers are continuing to uncover more stories about H.M. Factory Gretna workers to be added to this database. We are always looking to learn more about H.M. Factory Gretna workers. If you know anything about a H.M. Factory Gretna worker please feel free to get in touch with us by contacting info@devilsporridge.org.uk  A huge thank you to all our research volunteers. The information below is supplied through Research Project led by Nigel Crompton. 

This week’s Worker of the Week, is Lottie Louisa Moore went from a member of the Women’s Police Force at the factory to a stewardess! Read more about her below.

Early Life

  • Firstly, Lottie was born on 22nd March 1892 in Weybridge, Surrey
  • Her mother was Alice Jane Faulkner, who later married Henry Moore.
  • Accordingly, Lottie later had three half siblings.

 

  • According to the 1901 census, the family were living in the Stable block of Delrow House in Aldenham, Hertfordshire.
  • Could some of Lottie’s family have worked there?

 

  • By the 1911 census Lottie was employed as a domestic servant.
  • She was working for the Miskin family in Walton on Thames, who were timber merchants.

Time at H.M. Factory Gretna

  • Next, Lottie appears in the book, ‘The Pioneer Policewoman’ by Mary S Allen.
  • This suggests that she was one of the original officers sent to H.M. Factory Gretna in 1916.
Womens Police badge.

Ministry of Munitions Women’s Police Service badge from the Museum collection. This would have been used at H.M. Factory Gretna.

  • Following this in 1917, she does indeed appear on the Valuation Role for H.M. Factory Gretna.
  • “Miss Lottie Moore” is listed as living Eastriggs.
  • Eastriggs was one of the two townships built for those who came to work at H.M. Factory Gretna, with the other being the factory’s namesake Gretna.
  • Notably, the rural site of the factory stretched from Longtown in England to Dornock in Scotland, but both these townships played a vital part in factory life, especially for those who worked at the site.

 

  • We know she continued live in the area and work in the Factory Women’s Police Force in 1918. [2]
  • By this point she is listed as living at Women’s Police Barracks. [2]

 

Members of the Women's Police Force stood up straight in neat rows in front of a timber building. There is a sign on this building which reads Woman's Police Barracks No. 3. This is a black and white archive photo from the past.

Some members of the Women’s Police Force in front of Women’s Police Barracks No. 3.

  • As a member of the Women’s Police Force at H.M. Factory Gretna she would have helped look after the workforce and ensured everything ran smoothly at the factory.
  • Some examples of tasks undertaken by members of the Women’s Police Force include guarding or patrolling certain areas of the factory site or townships, escorting unwell munitions workers home at the end of their shift and searching those entering the factory site. [1]
  • So far we’ve found no newspaper accounts of any of Lottie’s exploits as a member of the women’s police, but who knows! We might come across something some day…

 

Some of H.M. Factory Gretna's Women's Police Force in front of one of the hostels.

Some of H.M. Factory Gretna’s Women’s Police Force.

Further Policing

  • We always think it’s nice to find member’s of H.M. Factory Gretna’s women’s police force who put their skills to good use after their time at the factory and Lottie did just that!
  • According to the 1921 census, she was employed by the Metropolitan Police.
  • Admittedly , we don’t know exactly when she joined this force, but she was based at the section house situated on Ixworth Place near South Kensington, London.

 

  • However,  the next time we come across Lottie, she’d moved on to something entirely different…

All at Sea

 

  • Next we find Lottie at sea!
  • By 1923, a change of career, led to Lottie become a stewardess on ocean liners.
  • On the ‘SS Empress of Britain’ Lottie travelled all the way to New York, arriving on 19th January 1923.
  • After this Lottie worked as a stewardess aboard the ‘SS Empress of Scotland.’
  • This time she travelled from Southampton to… New York again!
  • The ship arrived in New York on 27th January 1930.

 

A Ministry of Munitions Women's Police Officer badge, a cartoon postcard with New York written on it and The Devil's Porridge Museum's logo.

  • Following this, the 1939 census, shows Lottie to living with her step father, Henry, in Merryhill Road, Bushey in Hertfordshire.
  • They appeared to be living in a pub called ‘The Stag.’

Married Life

  • On the 19th November 1940, Lottie married John Fayrer Coates in Watford.
  • Notably, John worked on the same ocean liners as Lottie, so it is highly likely they met during their time at sea.

 

  • After their marriage, John and Lottie both continued to live in ‘The Stag’ with Henry.

Later Life

  • By 1960, John and Lottie had moved to live 21 Moatfield Road, Bushey in Hertfordshire.

 

  • Lastly, Lottie died in August 1975. Her husband John died around two years prior.

Sources and Further Reading

  1. Women’s Police Force at H.M. Factory Gretna – https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/womens-police-service-at-hm-factory-gretna
  2. Electoral Role for H.M. Factory Gretna 1918 to 1919.

 

Read Lottie Louisa Moore’s online database entry by clicking here>

Do you have a relative who worked at H.M. Factory Gretna? We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us by emailing info@devilsporridge.org.uk. You never know maybe your relative could feature in a future Worker of the Week blog post! You can also have a look at some more H.M. Factory Gretna workers on our online database here>

Alice Maud Trent in a police uniform. We think this is the uniform she would have worn at H.M. Factory Gretna. This is a black and white photo from Ancestry Public Member Tree.

Worker of the Week: Alice Maud Trent

By Collections blog

Worker of the Week is a series of blog posts which highlights the workers at H.M. Factory Gretna that our volunteers researched for The Miracle Workers Project. This project aimed to centralise all of the 30,000 people who worked at the factory during World War One and, although it may be over, our amazing research volunteers are continuing to uncover more stories about H.M. Factory Gretna workers to be added to this database. We are always looking to learn more about H.M. Factory Gretna workers. If you know anything about a H.M. Factory Gretna worker please feel free to get in touch with us by contacting info@devilsporridge.org.uk  

This week’s Worker of the Week is Alice Maud Trent. We think she went from a domestic servant to a police officer! A huge thank you to our volunteer Nigel for this research on this one and another thanks goes to all our research volunteers.

Early Life

  • Firstly, Alice was born on 9th July 1887 in Dorset.
  • Her parents were William and Arabella Trent.
  • Additionally, she nine siblings that we have come across.

 

  • Following this, the 1891 census shows the family still to be living in the same Dorset village, Winfrith Newburgh.

Domestic Servant

  • When she was 14 years old, Alice was employed as a domestic servant.
  • According to the 1901 census, she was working at Silverdale Boarding House on Gilbert Road, Swanage in Dorset.

 

Life During World War One

  • During World War One, we know one of Alice’s brothers Arthur William Trent was serving with the 7th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment.
  • Sadly, Arthur died on 22nd February 1916 in the isolation hospital, Weymouth.
  • Could this have helped to inspire Alice to join the police? We have no evidence for this either way.
Alice Maud Trent wearing a police uniform. We think this could be her H.M. Factory Gretna Women's Police Force Uniform. This is a black and white photo from Ancestry Public member tree.

We think Alice could be wearing her Women’s Police Force Uniform from H.M. Factory Gretna in this uniform. What do you think? This photo is from Ancestry Public member tree.

  • We know she was in the Women’s Police Force at H.M. Factory Gretna, as her name appears on the Valuation Roll for the factory site, which is dated 1918 to 1919.
  • According to the valuation roll, “Miss Alice M. Trent, police” was living at Number 2 Women’s Police Barracks in Gretna.
  • It seems that she would have started in the Women’s Police Force in 1917.

 

  • As a member of the Women’s Police Force at H.M. Factory Gretna, Alice would have helped ensure the smooth running of the factory and helped to keep the work force out of mischief.
  • It was not unheard of for members of the Women’s Police Force to check the back row of the cinema for instance… [1]
  • Additionally, they would have also searched munitions workers on their way in and out of the factory to make sure they didn’t smuggle in any contraband such as matches by mistake or become a bit too fond of any of the cordite they were making. [1]
  • Not only that, but it seems that they used to patrol and guard certain areas of the factory and two townships built for it (that’s Eastriggs and Gretna by the way, but the actual site of the factory stretched from Dornock all the way to Longtown on the other side of the border). [2]
  • Members of the Women’s Police Force also had to escort unwell munitions workers home after their shift (the fumes inside some areas of the factory could be very strong).  [2]

 

Womens Police badge.

Ministry of Munitions Women’s Police Service badge from the Museum collection. This would have been used at H.M. Factory Gretna.

 

  • It seems that the Women’s Police Force might have even helped to keep an eye on the crowds of factory workers when King George V and Queen Mary came to visit in 1917.
  • Plus, some members of the Women’s Police Force were presented to the royals too. Admittedly, we don’t know if Alice would have been among them.

 

The woman's police force lined up at a train station. King George V and Queen Mary stand before them. This is a black and white archive photo.

Travels

  • Where next? Well, it seems Alice continued to work in the police!
  • By 1921 she was a member of the Walsall Brough Police, according to the census records.
  • However, by the October of the same year she was living in Barking, Essex.
  • According to the passenger lists for the SS Commonwealth on 20th October 1921, she is still described as a policewoman and was set to travel to Sydney in Australia.

 

  • Following this, we’ve found evidence that suggests that she moved to Utah in 1923. [3] [4]
  • It seems she used the Canadian Pacific Railroad to travel from Regina in Canada to the USA.

 

Marriage and Later Life

  • On the 19th May 1924 she married George Galbraith in Farmington City, Utah.
  • They had two children.
  • The first was born in 1925 and sadly died that same year.

 

  • Lastly, Alice died on 14th March 1937.

 

Sources and Further Reading

  1. Members of the Women’s Police Force at H.M. Factory Gretna – https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/members-of-the-womens-police-service-at-hm-factory-gretna
  2. Women’s Police Service at H.M. Factory Gretna – https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/womens-police-service-at-hm-factory-gretna
  3. Alice M. T. Galbraith, Ogden Standard – Examiner Newspaper, March 1937.
  4. Funeral Wednesday for Mrs. Galbraith, The Ogden Standard – Examiner Newspaper, March 1937.

Mabel Alice Trent Photo Source: Ancestry Public Member Tree.

 

Find Alice Maud Trent’s online database entry by clicking here>

Do you have a relative who worked at H.M. Factory Gretna? We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us by emailing info@devilsporridge.org.uk. You never know maybe your relative could feature in a future Worker of the Week blog post! You can also have a look at some more H.M. Factory Gretna workers on our online database here>

Monthly Roundup 20th April to 24th May 2026. This includes three photos of artwork. The first features flowers made out of buttons, the second is of a dog walker made out of buttons and a flower in a garden made out of flowers.

Monthly Roundup 20th April to 24th May 2026

By Archive

Here’s our Monthly Roundup 20th April to 24th May 2026.

Before we begin can we just take a moment to say it happened again!

The green TripAdvisor owl logo with 2026 on it. Underneath are the words "Traveller's Choice."

We’re proud to have been awarded a TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award again for 2026! 🥳

This means our museum is in the top 10% of properties on the whole of… planet Earth according to TripAdvisor and that’s all thanks to YOU!

(More specifically it comes from our visitors reviews and ratings on TripAdvisor over the past 12 months.)

So, we would like to say is a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supports The Devil’s Porridge Museum and all who take the time to leave a review of their visit!

Now on with this month’s Roundup…

***

Monday 21st April

This Monthly Roundup starts with Arts and Crafts Club.

***

Tuesday 21st April 2026

Some of our team had a fab afternoon at The Holywood Trust’s Spring Gathering today. This wonderful organisation supports young people across the region through funding projects and creative opportunities. They have been wonderful supporters of the Devil’s Porridge Museum and our work with young people. It was fantastic to be part of their celebration of the dazzling talent, art and creativity and amazing young people in Dumfries and Galloway. A really inspiring event, which has prepared us for our next exciting projects.

Below are some photos from this.

 

Later on we had our Warhammer Club at The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

***

Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Our Youth and Community Engagement Officer headed out to give a talk about our museum at The Usual Place in Dumfries for Veterans with Sight Loss.  It was lovely to be invited to do this. We hope you all enjoyed the talk and it was nice to meet you all.

***

Thursday 23rd April

Today we had the first group visit of this Monthly Roundup. Thank you to them for taking the opportunity to come along and visit us and it was great to meet you!

***

Monday 27th April

We started the week with another group visit to The Devil’s Porridge Museum. A huge thank you to them for taking the time to come and visit us. It was fantastic to have them and lovely to see all their happy faces! Want a look for yourself? We’ll leave a photo they kindly let us take and share below.

 

Two men dressing up in 1940s style aprons and posing as though they are washing clothing in The Devil's Porridge Museum's 1940s house display.

 

After-school Arts and Crafts Club was on today too.

***

Tuesday 28th April

Tuesday’s mean Warhammer Club in the evening at The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

Lately, we’ve also had Gaelic Lessons on Tuesdays too.

***

Monday 3rd May

Monday’s means it’s time to get creative with Arts and Crafts Club.

***

Tuesday 4th May

An arrangement of Warhammer miniatures on a table.

 

Warhammer Club was on again this week.

So were Gaelic Lesson!

***

Friday 8th May

Brilliant to have our Tom invited to Annan Day Centre to give a talk about our museum. Thanks for having us and it was fantastic to meet everyone who came along.

This was a fab way to spend the anniversary of VE Day this year!

***

Saturday 9th May

At the weekend we had a group visit to The Devil’s Porridge Museum. We hope you all enjoyed your time at our museum and thanks for coming along!

***

Monday 11th May

Cordite Club was back! This week they heard all about some dairy stories and had a go at making their own butter (even though it did take rather a lot of shaking).

They also had soup and sandwiches to enjoy. Delicious!

In the afternoon we had Arts and Crafts Club.

***

Tuesday 12th May

Warhammer Club is happening on Tuesdays.

All this week we had a young person join us for work experience at The Devil’s Porridge Museum. Wondering what she got up to?

She kindly took a blog post about her week, which you can read by clicking here>

Thanks to her for writing this and joining us!

***

Monday 18th May

This week’s Cordite Club had:

  • Baked potato with beans or cheese;
  • Followed by meringue nests and tinned fruit salad;
  • Card Bingo;
  • And a brilliant Button Craft.

If you want to take a look at their beautiful creations, take a look at the photos below.

 

 

Arts and Crafts Club was also on later. This weeks craft activity involved some messy shaving foam and food colouring artwork!

A shutout goes to our volunteers Shelia and Wendy for all their help today.

( Interestingly, today also marked the 109th anniversary of when King George V and Queen Mary visited H.M. Factory Gretna in 1917! )

***

Tuesday 19th May

Next, we were delighted to welcome another group visit to The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

Warhammer Club is on Tuesdays too! Remember you can find more about our regular activities at the end of this blog.

So is Gaelic Lessons.

***

Wednesday 20th May

We were excited to be participating in Bang Goes D & G event today. This is a STEM event for many school across the county.

Our Tom and our volunteer and trustee Alice represented The Devil’s Porridge Museum at this event. It was fantastic to see so many enthusiastic young people there!

***

Thursday 21st May

Fantastic to have a school visit at The Devil’s Porridge Museum today. We hope they all enjoyed their visit to our museum and the hands on activities we had, including having a go at using some old fashioned toys.

***

Friday 22nd May

Today marked the 111th anniversary of Quintinshill Rail Accident.

To mark the occasion we had an illustrated talk exploring Britain’s worst railway disaster at our The Devil’s Porridge Museum. This presentation was given by Grant Cullen, a historian of railways and the Great War, explained how the disaster unfolded and shared some of the personal stories of those involved.

We were proud to be joined by so many people for this talk. This is many more than any previous evening event at our museum and what we expected. We’re looking to see if there is a way we can repeat for those who may not have been able to see and hear it on this first occasion. Thank you to everyone who took the time to join us and Grant Cullen for giving the talk.

***

Conclusion

To round-off our Monthly Roundup we would like a thank you to everyone who has made our activities and more run smoothly! You’re all stars, even if we don’t have time to mention everyone.

Another thank you to everyone who joined us for any of our activities or visited us throughout the course of this Month’s Roundup. We really apricate your support!

Wondering what else we have coming up at The Devil’s Porridge Museum, or want more details about anything mentioned in this Roundup? See our list below.

 

 

Finally, if you fancy stepping back in time you can check out our previous Monthly Roundup by clicking here>

See you next time. 👋

A wooden cut out of Sherlock Holmes holding a pipe and wearing a hat

A Busy Week at The Devils Porridge Museum

By Archive

I have been lucky enough to enjoy a weeks work experience at the Devils Porridge museum, where I have been able to work with many people who have been extremely kind and enthusiastic about the museum, who have also helped me to learn a lot about working in a museum.

I started my week with helping to photograph and log some of the museums collection of medals from both World War One and World War Two. This was particularly interesting as I was able to see these parts of history up close.

Another exciting activity I was able to be involved in was painting a wooden cut out of Sherlock Holmes. Now, you might be thinking, what does Sherlock Holmes have to do with a museum about local munitions factories and the World Wars? Well, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a war correspondent and had visited the HM Factory in Gretna during the first World War. This led him to coin the phrase “devils porridge” to describe the material that the people at the factory worked with to make cordite and has been a widely used nickname for the the mixture since then.

I have also really enjoyed working in customer service areas of the Museum such as on the front desk or in the café, where I have been able to talk to many lovely customers and friendly staff. I’ve also learnt so much about the marketing and social media aspect of the museum, and have been able to see how clubs such as the Cordite Club run.  This was extremely fascinating to see how hard-working the staff here are to deliver the best possible activities, posts and events.

There is so much you can learn from just one visit to The Devil’s Porridge Museum, so I think its safe to say I will be leaving my week of work experience with heaps of new knowledge and a much greater understanding of the history of the area and about the behind the scenes of a museum.

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