To search our directory of workers at HM Factory Gretna either enter any name, place of birth or place of death in the search box or if you know what their job was from select from the drop-down menu.
Mr Herbert Womersley
Herbert was born in Warrington, Lancashire in April 1899. He trained as a chemist in soap manufacturing, but from a young age his passion was entomology. Entomology is the study of insects, and Herbert wasn’t the first person in his family to be interested in the subject, his father, Fred, was an amateur lepidopterist.…
Mary Wallace Wood
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by):
Mary Wallace Wood, known as ‘May’ and ‘Auntie May’ (married surname Watson)
Gender: Female
Date and Place of Birth: 1st January 1898 at Fowler Street, Cellardyke, Fife. Source: Mary Wallace Wood Birth Certificate, Scotland’s People
Date and Place of Death: 10th August 1941 Source: Headstone, Plot A1 W, Anstruther Cemetery Gravestones, recorded by Sonny Corstorphine. …
May Wallace Wood
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by):
Mary Wallace Wood, known as ‘May’ and ‘Auntie May’ (married surname Watson)
Gender: Female
Date and Place of Birth: 1st January 1898 at Fowler Street, Cellardyke, Fife. Source: Mary Wallace Wood Birth Certificate, Scotland’s People
Date and Place of Death: 10th August 1941 Source: Headstone, Plot A1 W, Anstruther Cemetery Gravestones, recorded by Sonny Corstorphine. …
Charlotte Woodhouse
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) :Charlotte Woodhouse (married name McKee)
Gender: Female
Date and Place of Birth: 06/04/1901 Kenziels, Annan, Dumfries-shire
Date and Place of Death: 1989 Martha St, Glasgow
Nationality: Scottish
Biography
Childhood: One of 8 children of whom5 were still alive in 1911
Parents: Richard Woodhouse and Jane Carlyle
Parent’s occupations: Fisherman
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance:
Occupation: worker at HM factory
Place of residence at Gretna:
Job title at Gretna:
Marital status: Married on 31 August 1928 at Annan Congregational Church
Children: Elihu Leslie (Les) McKee b 1933, Thomas McKee b 1931 (there may be more?)
Travels: 1928 worked as House maid living at Dam side, Spiersbridge Thornliebank, Glasgow on marriage in 1928.…
Mary Agnes Woodhouse
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) :Mary Agnes Woodhouse
Gender: Female
Date and Place of Birth: 30/06/1893 I Nicholson St, Welldale, Annan, Dumfries-shire
Date and Place of Death: 1974 Annan (Scotland’s People ref; 839/52)
Nationality: Scottish
Biography
Childhood: One of 8 children of whom5 were still alive in 1911
Parents: Richard Woodhouse (1866-1949) and Jane Carlyle (1868-1946)
Parent’s occupations: Fisherman
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance:
Occupation: worker at HM factory
Place of residence at Gretna:
Job title at Gretna:
Marital status: Single
Travels:
Awards/recognitions:
Trivia / any other information: Brother David was born Jul 1890 but parents didn’t marry until 11 Dec 1891.…
Frederick Woodman
Appeared in Derbyshire Advertister and Journal 12th December 1919, he was a fatality and it mentioned he previously worked at Gretna.
George H Woods
Appeared in ‘Munitions Tribunal at Eastriggs’ Dumfries and Galloway Standard, 2 March 1918, p. 4.
Mrs Ellen Woof
MRS ELLEN ELIZABETH WOOF
(nee ANDERSON born Beattie)
Gender: Female
Date and Place of Birth:
14 November 1876 at Egremont
Date and Place of Death:
Death registered at Cockermouth 1950 aged 73 years
Nationality: British
Biography
Childhood: Ellen was fostered by the Anderson Family and as an adult she assumed the surname Anderson.
Ellen’s Foster Siblings were:
Joseph 1873 Frederick Junior 1879
John James 1881 Mary Jane 1887
Isabella 1889
Parents:
Ellen’s Birth Parents not known as she was born of a single parent.…
Robert Wotherspoon
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Robert Wotherspoon
Gender: Male
Date and place of birth: 6th July 1878, Ralston, Renfrewshire
Date and Place of Death: 14th August 1964, Aberdeenshire
Nationality: Scottish
Childhood: Youngest of 8
Parents: Robert and Jane [ Jeanie] nee Couper
Parents occupations: Letter press printer
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: N/K
Occupation: Engineer
Place of residence at Gretna: Jutland House, Eastriggs
Marital status: Married
Children: 1 daughter
Travels: Emigrated to US , returned to Scotland, emigrated to Canada
Awards/recognitions: N/K
Positions held: N/K
Trivia / any other information: Asaulted near cemetery in Dornock 1917
Bibliography
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Books written about the individual or mentioning the individual (Title, year of publication, publisher):
References
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Websites about the individual:
Further links, notes, and comments:
Mini Biography
Robert Wotherspoon 1878-1964
Robert Wotherspoon was born on 6th July 1878 at Ralston, Renfrewshire to Robert, a letter press printer, and Jane [ Jeanie ] nee Couper .…
Douglas Herbert Blake Wride
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Douglas Herbert Blake Wride
Gender: Male
Date and place of birth: 28th June 1892 Shirley, Hampshire
Date and Place of Death: 14th January 1981 Oak Tree Road, Milford, Surrey
Nationality: English
Childhood: One of 4 children
Parents : William Blake Wride and Emily nee Dunford
Parents occupations: Pharmacist
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: University College London. …
Albert Wright
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Albert Wright
Gender: Male
Date and Place of Birth: January 1876. Burnley Re. Dist.
Date and Place of Death: January 1939. 80 Water Street, Nelson. Lancaster.
Nationality: British
Biography
Childhood: Albert was an illigetimate child born in 1876 to Nancy Wright.…
Alfred Wright
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by): Alfred Wright.
Gender: Male.
Date and Place of Birth: ABT 1876. Nelson, Lancashire.
Date and Place of Death: 1939, Nelson, Lancashire (death registered between January and March of that year).
Nationality: British.…
Charles Wright
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by): Charles Wright.
Gender: Male.
Date and Place of Birth: 21 March 1891, Wakefield, Yorkshire West Riding.
Date and Place of Death: 2 September 1955.
Nationality: British.
Biography
Childhood: He had a half-brother called Francis Appleton (1867-).…
Lieutenant Frederick Howard Wright
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Frederick Howard Wright
Gender: Male
Date and place of birth: 28th September 1894 Stockton-on-Tees
Date and Place of Death: 16th December 1989 Folkestone
Nationality: English
Childhood: Privileged , one of two children
Parents: Hugh Francis Wright and Alice Harrison nee Sharp
Parents occupations: Mechanical engineer ( Also at Gretna)
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: Not known
Occupation: At Gretna, Lieutenant Royal Garrison Artillery Followed by Chartered accountant and managing director of cigarette manufacturing company
Place of residence at Gretna: 15 Canberra Road, Gretna
Marital status: Married
Children: None
Travels: Multiple , possibly annual, trans-Atlantic crossing to American Tobacco Company in New York City between1932 -1961
Awards/recognitions: None known
Positions held: Managing Director cigarette company
Trivia / any other information: Yes
Bibliography
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J.…
Hugh Francis Wright
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Hugh Francis Wright
Gender: Male
Date and place of birth: 12th March 1864 Dudley
Date and Place of Death: 15th March 1947 East Barnet Hertfordshire, Three Counties Hospital.
Nationality: British
Childhood
One of 6 surviving children
Parents: James and Jane nee Potts
Parents occupations : Mechanical engineer
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: Not known
Occupation: Mechanical engineer
Place of residence at Gretna: 16 Canberra Rd , Gretna with wife Alice
Marital status: married
Children: 2.…
Violet Wright
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Violet Wright
Gender: Female
Date and place of birth: 13th August 1902, South Shields , Durham
Date and Place of Death: 23rd November 1959, Walkergate Hospital, Newcastle on Tyne. Home address Holmedale, Victoria Road, Wooler.
Nationality: English
Childhood: Eldest of 4
Parents: James and Jospehine nee Wetherell
Parents occupations: N/K
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: N/K
Occupation: N/K although only 16 in 1918 so possibly a munitionette
Place of residence at Gretna:N/K – whole family moved to the area
Marital status: Married in 1932
Children: At least 2
Travels: N/k
Awards/recognitions: N/K
Positions held: N/K
Trivia / any other information: N/K
Bibliography
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Mini Biography
Violet Wright 1902-1959
Violet Wright was born on 13th August 1902 in South Shields , Durham to James and Josephine nee Wetherell.…
Helen Wylie
Email from grandson of Helen, in March 2020: ‘My grandmother, Helen Wylie of Eastriggs and/or Kirkpatrick Fleming, worked in the munitions factory during WWI. She met there my grandfather, Harry Yates of New Mills, Derbyshire, who was posted there from the army….My recollection from family folklore is that Helen Wylie lived at home while she worked on munitions.…
Sophia Wynn
Numerous postcards letters, and an autograph book belonging to Sophia are held in The Devil’s Porridge Museum’s archive collection.
Edward Harrison Yarker
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : Edward Harrison Yarker
Gender: Male
Date and place of birth: September 1898, Carlisle
Date and Place of Death: Q2 1966 Carlisle
Nationality: British
Parents: William James and Hannah nee Scott
Parents occupations: Fireman Cooperative society
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: N/K
Occupation: Not Known
Place of residence at Gretna: Not known
Marital status: Married
Children: Not known
Travels: N/K
Awards/recognitions: N/K
Positions held: N/K
Trivia / any other information: N/K
Bibliography
Books published (Title, year of publication, publisher):
Books written about the individual or mentioning the individual (Title, year of publication, publisher):
References
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Further links, notes, and comments:
Mini Biography
Edward Harrison Yarker 1898-1966
Edward Harrison Yarker was born in September 1898 at Carlisle to William James and Hannah nee Scott
1901 he is the youngest of 4 sons living at Randall Court, Carlisle.…
