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The State Management Display inside The Devil's Porridge Museum.

State Management Display

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A recent visitor to the Museum took a photo during their visit of our State Management of alcohol display (specifically a bottle of Brandy which must date from the 1970’s at least!) here we share a little bit more about this unique social experiment in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway.

Ten thousand (mainly Irish) navvies built HM Factory Gretna, the greatest factory on earth in World War One. They worked in difficult conditions to build the factory in a hurry and within eight months, it was fully operational and producing the Devils Porridge (cordite, an explosive)

The arrival of these hard working and hard drinking men caused social problems. Alcohol was a particular issue. On one famous night, ‘The Night of a Thousand Whiskies’, a barkeeper in Carlisle lined up 1000 shots of whisky for the navvies to consume. They drank their drink and then roamed around the streets of Carlisle raising hell. The residents of Carlisle and Annan were adamant: something had to change.

Some bottles of alcohol from the State Management Scheme

So the state took control of the alcohol supply: limiting people to buying one drink at a time, taking over the pubs, inns and taverns to make them more social with bowling greens and restaurants as well as producing their own alcohol (a weaker brew). This control of alcohol became known as the State Management Scheme or the Carlisle Experiment. It was introduced in World War One in response to a perceived immigrant disruption of social life but it remained long after the migrant navvies had left.

Statistics demonstrating the success of State Management

The State Management of Alcohol in parts of Cumbria and South West Scotland lasted until 1973. It is one of the most tangible impacts of HM Factory Gretna on this region. Many people from across the region were employed within state management.

 

The Devils Porridge Museum has a display relating to this experiment which showcases different bottles of wine, sherry and alcohol as well as showcasing beer pump stoppers, coasters and even dining sets (there were state managed hotels as well). A recent visitor donated to us a crate of State Managed beer. The bottles are full but I wouldn’t like to drink one! You often wonder what else is hiding out there in someone’s attic or garage and what part of the fascinating story of our region it helps to tell?

State Management Display in the Museum

WW1 Fireless Locomotive

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Outside The Devil’s Porridge Museum there stands a train, a fireless locomotive called Sir James, which was built and used in World War One. By the time it came to the Museum, it was in a rusty and poor state of repair.  The Museum spent a lot of time and money restoring the engine and it is now one of our most popular displays.

 

This engine was used to transport the ‘devil’s porridge’ paste through HM Factory Gretna (the greatest munitions factory on earth at that time, it stretched nine miles from Dornock in Scotland to Longtown in England).  The paste was made into cordite, a propellant in the English side of the Factory.  Cordite went inside all the bullets and shells used in World War One.

 

Sir James is an unusual locomotive.  It is powered by steam but there is no fire inside.  This was a safety precaution as the Factory produced explosive material and the train was used to transport it.  There was a genuine concern that there might be a major explosion (there were several fires and explosions here during World War One but the safety record was remarkably good given that 30,000 people worked at the Factory in total and we know of only twelve deaths directly attributable to accidents).

 

Sir James was built by Andrew Barclay of Kilmarnock, Scotland and in World War One, it would have been charged up with steam from an external boiler before setting off.   For these locomotives to work, it was necessary to have three charging stations en route to maintain pressure.  These ‘crazy green and brown patchwork’ camouflaged fireless locomotives could pull ten loaded wagons and return the empty wagons on one charge of steam.

At the end of the War, the Factory eventually closed and much of the machinery was sold off.  Sir James was sold in 1924 to the Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company at Brimsdown Generating Station and then in 1975 to the Lakeland and Haverthwaite railway before joining us at the Museum and being restored to its former glory in 2011.

If you enjoyed this article you might be interested in the following items from our online shop…

HM Factory Gretna’s Unique Railway System Booklet

Sir James Postcard

A lady sitting in a wheelbarrow with a man pushing it. This is an archive photo.

Mystery Photos 2

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This is the second part of the mystery photos which the Museum has in its store which we know nothing about as we don’t know who is in the pictures or where they came from. The only thing we know about the photos is that the boat which they are occasionally pictured on is called the SS Avoceta.

 

One of our Volunteers Desray found these photos interesting while she was adding them to the Museums collections database. Desray chose this selection and said “They must have meant a lot to someone as they were put into an album and they are very nice”.

 

If you would like to see the last group of photos we made an article on see: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/mystery-photos

Menu for The Devil's Porridge Museum's Valentine's Dinner at The Devil's Porridge Museum on Friday 14th February 2020.

Valentines Day at the Museum

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Romantic Valentine’s Meal at the Museum

 

Fancy a romantic Valentine’s Dinner in intimate surroundings in our 5 star Museum?. Our top chef, Lynne-Marie will create a scrumptious three course meal for only £29.95 per couple. Each loving twosome will have their own dedicated space within the displays to provide a relaxed atmosphere where you can enjoy your evening.

 

With only six tables to book at 6.30pm and 8pm, you can expect a really personal service. Tables can be booked by ringing the Museum on 01461 700021 or emailing: info@devilsporridge.org.uk. Booking is essential!!

 

Our menu us below. Couples should bring their own Prosecco/Champagne etc. Free soft drinks will be provided. Please ask about a personalised tour of the Museum conducted by one of out Expert Guides.

Two happy children outside The Devil's Porridge Museum.

Events at the Museum in February

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Events taking place at the Museum from Monday 17th of February to Sunday 23rd February. All of these activities are free and only the trip to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow on Saturday the 22nd requires booking. If you wish to book phone: 01461 700021, email: info@devilsporridge.org.uk or pop into the Museum during our opening hours. Drop in sessions can be joined at any time while the session is running and last as long as the activity takes.

 

Monday 17th February (11am – 2pm)

Warhammer Workshop and Painting Competition

 

Come along and find out all about Warhammer. We will have mini-games set up for beginners to learn and play as well as space for more experienced players to set up their own epic battles.

Paint and take home one of our Space Marines as part of the painting competition. All paints and models will be provided! There will also be space and paint for anyone looking to paint their own models.

Tuesday 18th February (11am – 2pm)

Pop in Poetry

 

Local artist and published poet Hugh McMillan will be running a series of drop in poetry workshops aimed at all ages.

Find out about WW1 poets and try your hand at writing some poetry of your own inspired by the Museums collection.

 

Wednesday 19th February (11am – 2pm)

Historical Arts and Crafts

 

Running along-side our imitation stained-glass project designing panels for our café renovation, drop into the learning zone and join Alison and Wendy to create your own imitation stained-glass window scene to take home and proudly display at home.

The imitation stained-glass project is a separate event and aimed at older crafters and adults.

 

Thursday 20th February (11am – 2pm)

Time Bandits Living History

 

Historical re-enactors from Time Bandits Living History will be visiting The Devils Porridge on this day.

With live performances throughout the day and a larger range of objects to be handled and explored the Time Bandits will be providing an insight into life on the home front and the roles of Women during World War One.

 

Friday 21st February (11am onwards)

Warhammer 40k Kill team Porridge Championship

 

The first ever Porridge Championship! Build your 40k kill team and battle your way through a series of missions against the other competitors. Prizes for the best painted army and most enjoyable competitor as well as our overall champion!

A painting area will also be provided for anyone adding any finishing touches to their army.

 

Saturday 22nd February (All day events)

Games Club

 

Our regular Devils Porridge Games Club will be running this day (10am – 11am for primary 6 and above 11am – 12noon open to all ages) but there will be different traditional games set up for families to play throughout the rest of the day.

Riverside Museum Trip to Glasgow (bus departs at 9.30 and returns at 4pm)

 

Join us for a free family day out to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow. Free return travel to the Museum and entry to the Museum is also free!

Riverside Museum is Glasgow’s award winning transport Museum. With over 3000 objects on display there’s everything from skateboards to locomotives, paintings to prams and cars to a Stormtrooper.

https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/riverside-museum

lukasz work experience student

Polish Guide to the Museum

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The Museum has several guides in foreign languages for visitors to use.  We now have a guide in Polish.  Łukasz Walkusz, who does work experience with us each Thursday from Annan Academy, writes…

“I believe that Polish is a important language to have at this Museum because Polish is the number one most spoken immigrant language in Britain and has become the most spoken language after English in England and Wales also it is about the same amount as Welsh speakers in the country. In the local area of the museum Polish speakers are very common so it will be helpful that Polish speakers with difficulty with English to have Polish as an option as a guide to the Museum. Polish has more of a right of having a guide than German, French and Spanish because of the amount of speakers in Britain.”

Munition girls bedroom at Devils Porridge Museum

Gretna Girls bedroom display

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Judith Hewitt, Manager of the Museum writes:

A recent visitor to the Museum posted a photograph they had taken during their website to our Google Business page, this is what it looked like:

Inside one of the cabinets on display in The Devil’s Porridge Museum.

Although I see this display a lot (pretty much every day), seeing it on Google photographed like this reminded me how much I like this area of the Museum.  This is what you can see in the photograph above (from top left):

-A photograph of workers in the Factory.  The Museum has lots of photographs like this, some posed for in Factory sections (I think this is one of those), some with friends or individually in studio portraits and some outside accommodation.  We don’t always know the names of the people in the photographs but each one is precious.

-An autograph book.  Lots of the ‘Grena Girls’ (the 12,000 women who worked at HM Factory Gretna during World War One) kept or compiled autograph books with signatures, poems, jokes, drawings and witticisms from the friends and acquaintances they made during the War.  We have several of these books in the Museum collection and they are amongst my favourite items in the Museum collection.

-Two pieces of Dornock souvenir china.  Small pieces of china such as this were extremely popular collectibles from the nineteenth century onwards (I remember my own grandfather’s collection fondly).  These pieces have heraldic devices on them (the Dornock shield) and the legend ‘Perseverance Overcomes’.  The shield is accompanied by a munition girl and soldier on some designs.  It is nice to think of women in war wanting a keepsake of this place to take with them when the left.

-Perfume bottles and hair brushes for the munition girl’s toilette (as gently mocked in the postcard in the Museum collection below).

munition girls toilette

This case sits next to a bed, the carpeting represents the size of a munitions girls cubicle in one of the hostels built near here in World War One.  There is information about the hostels including hostel names, matrons, living conditions, entertainment and friendships.  You can also find out how the hostels were built and read through digital copies of other autograph books in the Museum collection.

gretna girls bedroom at the devils porridge museum

The re-imagined munition workers bedroom. Cabinet photographed on left.

We have the following booklets for sale from our online shop if you would like to know more about HM Factory Gretna and the female workforce:

Lives of Ten Gretna Girls booklet

The Devil’s Porridge Museum Guidebook

New Objects on Display

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While the Museum was closed a couple of new items were added to the displays by our Vice Chairman Graham and our Secretary Neil these items are a Gretna Green sign which is above our Quintinshill display and a signal box which is placed on the wall before you enter the café showing the train routes for Quintinshill.

Signal Box

The Quintinshill rail disaster is the worst rail disaster in British history. It involved five trains and caused the deaths of over 229 soldiers. The crash was caused when a local train had been temporarily placed on the southbound mainline in the direct path of a troop train. at 6:55am, 21 carriages full of soldiers hurtled headlong into the stationary train.

Gretna Green sign at the Devils Porridge

The collision was so violent that the train, which had been 195 meters long, was compressed to just 61 meters. Minutes later with debris scattered all over the tracks the Northbound express from London approached Quintinshill. Weighing over 600 tonnes and travelling at full speed, it was powerless to stop and ploughed straight into the wreckage. The crash could be heard miles away. Within seconds a fire broke out and engulfed all three engines, of the 500 troops on board, fewer than 60 made it to roll-call the next day.

A Happy New Year to all of our Supporters

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A Happy New Year from all the volunteers and staff at the Devils Porridge. 2019 was a good year for the Museum bet we hope that 2020 will be an even better one. We open again on Monday the 6th January with our new Solway Fishing Exhibition and on 25th January we have our annual Burns Supper, tickets are £10, bookable by phoning 01461 700021. Our year ended on a high note, wit two coaches from the South coming in for a warm welcome on Hogmanay. Our photo shows Chairman Richard Brodie, Trustee Eleanor Oswald and Sheila Gibson, and our youngest volunteer Maddison Wallace.

Fabric badge from World War Two.

Mystery World War Two fabric badges

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Are you an expert in World War Two fabric badges or know someone who is?

We need your help!

Recently a lady brought in an old trench coat which belonged to her mother who was a Land Girl in World War Two.

On the interior of the coat there was multiple fabric badges from many different regiments of both the British and American armed forces from World War Two.

Through careful analysis of these badges and help from our good friend google most of the badges have been identified, however there are a few badges that have not. This is where we need your help. Below there are pictures of these badges and if you recognise one, we would greatly appreciate it if you could get into contact with us.  Email: manager@devilsporridge.org.uk

(1)                                                                          (2)
fabric badge

fabric badge 2

(3)                                                                 (4)

fabric badge 3 fabric badge 4

(5)

fabric badge 5

We hope that someone can help us with this and if anyone knows any extra information or stories about the Land Girls and their badges in their coat’s then please get into contact with us.  Thank You.

 

 

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