Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Jessie Rome Latimer

Gender: Female

Date and Place of Birth: 5 October 1891, Annan.

Date and Place of Death: 2nd Quarter 1958, Lockerbie, Dumfries-shire Scotland.

Nationality: Scottish

 

Biography

Childhood: Brought up in Annan Dumfries-shire. 

 

Parents: Robert Rome Latimer, Agnes Dickson Latimer.

 

Parent’s occupations: Legal Clerk.

 

Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: Annan Academy.

 

Occupation: None. 

 

Place of residence at Gretna: Unknown

Job title at Gretna: Unknown

Marital status: Married, William Armstrong Fyfe, 1920.

Children: Unknown

Travels: 

Awards/recognitions: None

Trivia / any other information: 

Jessie Latimer was brought up in Annan and one of her main interests during her youth was singing and performing. On December 3rd 1914 she took part in a concert at the Victoria Hall in Annan as part of the Soldiers and Sailors’ Work Party Fund. Her younger sister Margaret also took part in a section of the performance titled the ‘Butterfly Queen’, whereas Jessie appeared in ‘Our Allies’, where she sang the song  ‘Ready, aye ready’. Jessie Latimer is documented appearing at numerous local events between 1914 and 1916 along with Gina Beattie, Elsie Longmuir and Etta Robinson. Jessie entered the factory in the autumn of 1916 along with several of her friends and seems to have worked at the Dornock section, which is interesting as her father Robert was born in Dornock in 1867. Jessie continued singing and on 11 May 1917 Jessie performed as part of a variety concert at the Central Hall Eastriggs held under the auspices of the Gretna Social & Athletic Association. She also seems to have been involved in sport there is a suggestion that she appeared in the team line up for the Dornock hockey side and a J. Latimer appears on the team sheet for the Gretna Girls football team which traveled to Carlisle to play the Carlisle Munitioners at Brumpton Park in a charity match. Jessie was also involved in fund rising for war charities running a stall at the ‘Worlds Fair’ event in Annan on 8 September 1917. After the war Jessie met William Armstrong Fyfe a trainee dentist. He had been conscripted as a Gunner but was discharged in 1916 on medical grounds. The couple married in Grimsby Lincolnshire in 1920 and William Fyfe qualified as a dentist in 1921. They moved to Edinburgh in 1923 residing at 10a, Bruntsfield Avenue but the couple soon returned to Grimsby where William worked at a new dental practice on 78 Grimsby Road. A few years later William died on 5 May 1929. Following her husband’s death Jessie moved back to Scotland and lived for many years in Lockerby where she died in April 1958.

 

Bibliography

• Books published (Title, year of publication, publisher): 
• None
• Books written about the individual or mentioning the individual (Title, 
• year of publication, publisher): 

References 

Scotland Select Births & Baptisms, 1564-1950, (1891), digital image, s.v. “Jessie Rome Latimer”, Ancestry.com.  

1901 Scotland Census, Annan, Annan Burgh, s.v. “Jessie Rome Latimer”, Ancestry.com.

1911 Scotland Census, Annan, Annan Burgh, s.v. “Jessie Rome Latimer”, Ancestry.com.

“Annan Unionists Social”, Dumfries Standard, 18 April, 1914, 5 

“Concert at Annan”, Dumfries Standard, 5 December, 1914, 4

“Concert at Ruthwell”, Dumfries Standard, 3 March, 1915, 6

“Entertainment at Annan”, Dumfries Standard, 1 March, 1916, 4

“Concert at Eastriggs”, Annandale Observer, 11 May, 1917, 7

“Girls Football Match”, Annandale Observer, 15 June, 1917, 6

“World’s Fair at Annan”, Dumfries Standard, 12 September, 1917, 5

UK Silver War Badge Records, 1914 to 1920, (1918) digital image, s.v. “William Armstrong Fyfe”, Ancestry.com.

England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, (1920), digital image, s.v. “Jessie Rome Latimer”, Ancestry.com. 

The Dentists Register for 1925, digital image, s.v. “William Armstrong Fyfe”, Ancestry.com.

British Phone Books, 1880-1984, (1928), digital image, s.v. “William Armstrong Fyfe”, Ancestry.com.

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, 1858-1995, (1929), digital image, s.v. “William Armstrong Fyfe”, Ancestry.com. 

England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2016, (1958), digital image, s.v. “Jessie Rome Latimer”, Ancestry.com.