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First World War

Group of Gretna Girls.

Munition Workers Poems Part 2

By Archive

This is another of the poems from the book which we have in the Museum’s shop. We are posting poems from this book written by women for Women’s History Month this month. This one was written by Elizabeth Easthaugh about the munitions factory in Gretna and is called “Farewell, Cordite!”.

 

You can see the poem below:

 

If you would like to purchase the full book you can see it here:

Munition Workers’ Poems

Recent Donation of State Management Labels

By Collections blog

These State Management labels were donated to the Museum recently and feature many different types of alcohol which would be sold at pubs in Cumbria and South West Scotland. These items belonged to a gentleman who was the Head Maltster working in State Management. He worked there from the end of the Second World War until it closed in the 1970s, these items were donated to us by his granddaughter.

The state management of alcohol scheme or the ‘Carlisle Experiment’ saw the government take over many local pubs in the First World War and stop the sale of normal alcohol to substitute it with watered down state made alcohol. This was done to try and deter people from drinking in key areas related to the war, this was done in South Scotland and Cumbria because of HM Factory Gretna (The Devils Porridge Museum tells its story). The State Management scheme lasted from 1915 until around the 1970s, we think the labels which have been donated to us may be from the late 1960’s. Below you can see some of the labels above on bottles which were donated to the Museum from the State Management Scheme which we have on display at the Museum along with a few other bottles of Brandy.

The labels which were donated are of many different types of alcohol and soft drinks.  Alcohol was controlled during state management and includes many brands which people may recognise along with a few which were produced by the Government and made in Carlisle.

 

 

Munition Workers Poems Part 1

By Collections blog

Lots of people are familiar with famous World War One poets and their poetry. Some wonderful, less know poems were written by women about their experiences at HM Factory Gretna (the greatest factory on earth during World War One, The Devils Porridge Museum tells its story).

We have a book on sale in our shop called, ‘Munitions Workers Poems’. For Women’s History Month, we thought we would share a few photographs and poems of women workers from World War One.

This poem is called “Bravo! Dornock” and was written by a woman called Susan M Ferguson.

The complete booklet can be found here:

 

Munition Workers’ Poems

Kenneth Bingham Quinan Part 4

By Collections blog

Quinan’s later life

At the end of the War, Quinan was 40 years old. He was offered a knighthood which he turned down (as an American, he didn’t think it was appropriate). He was made a Companion of Honour on the same day as General Smuts. He also received official thanks from the House of Commons and a gift of £10,000. In 1919, he returned to South Africa. His work was clearly held in the highest estimation and praise was showered upon him as can be seen below. Photograph below shows Quinan in later life.

“The unique professional knowledge derived from many years of technical experience, the unremitting work of a powerful and vigorous mind, and the irradiating influence of a great, genial and unselfish personality were unreservedly put at the disposal of the British Empire. An atmosphere of good fellowship and of equal comradeship in work pervaded every branch. Everyone who came under the influence of Mr Quinan was stimulated to put forth his best in the general cause.” – Article in Nature Journal, 1920

 

“It would be hard to point to anyone who did more to win the war than Kenneth Bingham Quinan.” – David Lloyd George

 

Below: Quinan was given a solid gold brick on retiring along with the words “from one old brick to another”.

KBQ’s timeline after the war

In 1917 Quinan was appointed to the Commission of Chemical Trades after the War. Churchill offered him a position in the Ministry of Munitions but he declined this offer and many others.

 

In 1919 he returned to his old farm in South Africa as a consultant

 

In 1922 he helped found and became the first Vice President of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (now the Royal Institute of Chemical Engineers). The main aim for this was to disseminate the information gathered during the War.

 

31st December 1923 married Jean Pargiter. They had two sons

 

In 1924 KBQ retired to his fruit farm ‘Bizweni’ in Somerset West where he built a laboratory and dedicated himself to grape production. He also enjoyed big game hunting (especially lions).

 

In 1942 KBQ was invited by the British Government be Senior Representative in South Africa for Chemical Defence Matters. He worked tirelessly in munitions manufacture again.

 

11am 26th January 1948 KBQ collapsed and died at his desk in his office at the age of 69.

 

You can read the first three parts here:

Part 1: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/kenneth-bingham-quinan-the-great-kbq

Part 2: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/kenneth-bingham-quinan-part-2

Part 3: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/kenneth-bingham-quinan-part-3

Planning Maps for HM Factory Gretna

By Collections blog

A local gentleman visited the Museum the other day to share some wonderful items with us. He has a map of the local area (stretching from Dornock to Longtown). It appears to be an ordnance survey map from 1898 and on it someone has drawn plans for HM Factory Gretna (the greatest munitions factory on earth during World War One, The Devils Porridge tells it story and the story of the 30,000 workers, 12,000 of whom were women). You can clearly see the Factory sites 1-4 labelled on the map and contours have been drawn on the main intended Factory locations as an aid for planning. Two townships were built for the Factory (Gretna and Eastriggs) and neither appears on the map – there are just open fields and farms – as they weren’t constructed until after 1915. It is quite strange to see a map without these two significant local towns on it.  The map also shows plans for a temporary pumping station and the pipelines that would be built for the movement of millions of gallons of water used by the Factory each day. Fascinating stuff and amazing to see a glimpse into the planning of the construction of the Factory.

Our visitor also brought in an auction catalogue from 1924. At the end of the war, the Factory plant, site and the houses in the townships were auctioned off and this catalogue was produced (we have one on display in the Museum). What was particularly interesting about this gentleman’s copy of the Auction Book was that it had all five maps inside it (and they were in excellent condition). We have some of the maps but not all of them so it was really interesting to see all the maps together.

We are very grateful to this gentleman for sharing these documents with us and for letting us take photographs of the items in question for our records.

Kenneth Bingham Quinan Part 3

By Collections blog

Kenneth Bingham Quinan “The Great KBQ”

1878 – 1948

 

KBQ was probably the most important person behind the construction and successful operation of HM Factory Gretna (the greatest munitions factory in World War One, The Devil’s Porridge Museum tells its story).

This photo shows all of the senior staff from the Dornock section of HM Factory Gretna.

Part 3: KBQ’s Management style

Quinan’s approach was meticulous. He created over 300 technical manuals and he demanded that his staff create similar exemplars. These were then circulated throughout the factories so everyone could learn from each other and understand what processes were effective. Many of them were published after the war to help spark what Quinan called “…the renaissance of chemical industry in England”

Quinan regularly met with all the technical senior staff and knew many of them well. Monthly meeting were held which all Superintendents of the Factory and Managers were expected to attend. One of the main aims of the meetings was motivation and morale, it was a chance for “…for them (the managers) to receive stimulation and encouragement which everyone who worked for him (KBQ) experienced”.

These meetings generated many documents including a twice yearly document comparing the efficiency and output of the different plants. KBQ was also looking for ways to make the munitions factories more effective.

Most of the Chemistry work at the Factory was overseen by male chemists but sometimes female workers were given some of the jobs to do as you can see in the photos above.

We have previously done two other articles about KBQ if you would like to read them as well see below;

Part 1: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/kenneth-bingham-quinan-the-great-kbq

Part 2: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/kenneth-bingham-quinan-part-2

The front cover of H.M. Factory Gretna Regulations Governing Employment.

Recent Donation to the Museum

By Collections blog

We had a very interesting recent donation to the Museum which was donated by someone with family connections to HM Factory Gretna (The Devils Porridge Museum tells the story of this Factory and the 30,000 workers who were employed there during World War One). The objects in question date back to World War One and are: a Factory pass and a booklet with the title “Regulations Governing Employment. The Factory pass it particularly interesting as we have not seen one before. It looks like it could be attached around the neck via a cord and it would hold something inside it (some paperwork). This pocket is empty but we believe we have an example of the sort of thing that would go inside on display in the Museum.

The text is quite difficult to read but it says: Department of Explosives Supply, H. M. Factory, Gretna, Workers Pass, Not Transferable

 

We have scanned all of the pages of the booklet for you to read – hope you find it interesting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Hunter in her munitions uniform.

Elizabeth Hunter – Gretna Girl

By Collections blog

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hunter

Born 28 November 1893 died 20th October 1969

Worked at HM Factory Gretna 1916 – 1919

Badge No. B201047

 

Elizabeth originally trained as a dress maker in Carlisle, then began work at the factory. She commuted from Carlisle to work.

 

She had a souvenir autograph book, which was addressed to the girls in the stove room so she could have potentially worked there. Included in this autograph book was a poem written by one of the other girls.

 

Once she had finished working at the Factory, she worked at Carrs Biscuit Works in Carlisle before marrying a Presbyterian Minister in 1927 and moving around the country.

 

She had three brothers who served during WW1; two were part of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders with one killed in 1918 and the other wounded four times. Her third brother was part of the Royal Garrison Artillery and was awarded the Military Cross; he had been a prisoner of war, where he had a Bible and wrote in code with a pin details of the awful living conditions he faced in the camp. Unfortunately he died a month after the Armistice; the Bible was returned to his father but upon reading of his experience burned the copy so no-one else could read it.

 

 

Kate Hume

Talk: The Strange Case of Kate Hume

By Archive

The Strange Case of Kate Hume

Tuesday 25th February at 7pm

£3 per person, payable on the door

No need to book

The family of Andrew Hume, a music teacher living in Dumfries, was it seemed beset by tragedy. After the loss of his son ‘Jock’, a bandsman on the Titanic, in 1912, it was reported in September 1914 that his elder daughter Grace, a nurse working for the Red Cross in Belgium, had been brutally murdered by the advancing German army.

 

 

The Hume family’s troubles understandably achieved national prominence. But this was more than a personal disaster. It takes us to the heart of the wider issue of wartime ‘atrocities’ and their impact on the way the First World War was understood at the time and since.

 

 

This talk will present a fascinating glimpse into local life at the start of the Twentieth Century.  The talk will be presented by David Dutton who has taught for many years at the University of Liverpool and is now Ramsay Muir Emeritus Professor of Modern History there.  He has written or edited seventeen books and around a hundred chapters and journal articles on twentieth-century British political and diplomatic history.

Annie Corrin

Annie Corrin – Gretna Girl

By Collections blog

Annie Corrin left Port S. Mary in the Isle of Man, and went to work at the Gretna plant when she was 19. She remained there from August 1917 until early 1919. She received roughly 15/- per week, after board and lodging had been deducted. Despite the fact that these wages were considered to be high for the period after she had sent money to her home she couldn’t afford to go to the cinema or dances in Carlisle or Dornock.

 

Eventually she was billeted in the Central Hotel, near Carlisle station, which had been commandeered for the munition workers. However, about six months later the hotel became a hospital for the war wounded and the girls were sent to the hostels in the Gretna township. These hostels were usually newly erected wooden huts, and the one she was sent to was called “Florence Nightingale Hostel”.

 

Work at the plant as based on a three shift system 7.00am – 2.00pm, 2.00pm – 10.00pm and 10.00pm – 7.00am.

 

Annie had initially been sent to work in the Cordite Section, and was provided with a mop cap, tunic and trousers. Her job was to separate large trays of Cordite, by taking a small handful and smashing the end, to separate the strands. The strands were then put into boxes, similar to fish boxes and weighed. After this procedure had been completed, the boxes were provided with lids which were then nailed down.

 

After six months, she was transferred to outside work in the Loading Sheds. She was provided with an oilskin coat, and sou’wester hat, for this work. She was instructed by a man called ‘Geordie’ into the best methods of lifting and loading the boxes of cordite sticks on to the trucks. The girls then pushed these trucks outside on rail tracks, for about a mile to another shed. Although she never found out what happened in these sheds she does remember that there were usually a couple of girls lying outside in  what appeared to be a drunk state, cause by exposure to cordite.

 

Early in 1919 Annie left the Gretna Plant and returned to the Isle of Man.

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