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world War one

An illustration of a SPAD A2 plane.

WW1 Plane Postcards

By Collections blog

Sikorsky Ilya Mourometz

The worlds first 4-engined aeroplane, Russkii Baltiski was designed and flew in 1913. From this was developed the Ilya Mourometz flown early in 1914 and was capable of carrying 16 passengers to an altitude of 2000m, at a speed of 62mph and able to remain airborne for 5 hours. Ten examples were ordered for the Imperial Russian Air Service at the outbreak of war and, eventually 80 aircraft were built. The first operational sortie was made on 15th February 1915 over East Prussia and, up to the time of the Russian Revolution of 1917, some 400 bombing raids were made over German and Lithuanian territory for the loss in action of only one aircraft.

 

SPAD A2

 

Before the days of the introduction of interrupter mechanism for Allied fighter aeroplanes to enable a machine gun to be fired between the revolving blades of the propeller., British and French designers chose to develop aircraft with pusher engines armed with a machine gun which could be operated from the front cockpit by either the pilot or the gunner. An interim solution which used the more efficient tractor biplane was the complicated SPAD A2 with a pointed front nacelle placed directly ahead of the of the propeller containing a gunner and Lewis Gun. The pilot sat in a cramped cockpit behind the propeller. Designed by M. Bechereau of the Societe pour les Appareils Deperdussin  the aeroplane first flew on 21st May 1915 powered by an 80hp Le Rhone 9c. 96 SPAD A2’s were constructed; 42 for the French Aviation Militaire and 57 for the Imperial Russian Airforce, now engined with the 110hp Le Rhone 9j. The A2’s operational life with the French was brief as faster and lighter aircraft were now coming into service equipped with guns firing through the propeller. The Russian Air Force with a general shortage of equipment retained the SPAD A2 much longer and used it with limited success in most battle areas.

 

Illustration of a child dressed as a police women on a postcard.

Women’s Police Service at HM Factory Gretna

By Collections blog

Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be focusing on one interesting aspect of HM Factory Gretna – the Women’s Police Service.

This first post provides introductory information, then we’re going to take a look in more detail at some of the documents and accounts in the Museum collection.

During World War One, 12,000 women worked at HM Factory Gretna.  They were mainly young, unmarried women and the Ministry of Munitions felt responsible for them, taking several actions which they saw as being for the girl’s own protection. We might now view curfews, searches and the largest women’s police service in Britain as restrictive, but at the time there was a War on and the measures were seen as necessary.

All work at HM Factory Gretna came under the Official Secrets Act. There was large police presence, this building in Gretna was once the police HQ, it still stands and is now converted into flats.

The Devil’s Porridge Museum has several items in its collection and archive which relate to the Women’s Police Service.  There were over 150 members of this unit and they were, on the whole older, better educated middle class women who policed the younger, less educated, working class women who made up the majority of the Factory employees.  These young women were known as the ‘Gretna Girls’ although they came from all over Britain and worked in a Factory which stretched as far as Longtown.  For example, we know one female police officer was born in Braithwaite, Cumbria.

Members of the WPS outside the Women’s Police Barracks, Gretna in World War One.

The Museum archive includes documents about the training of the female police force and their uniforms, photographs of them and the buildings associated with them (one of which, the Police HQ in Gretna, still stands and is now flats).  An interesting document is a petition to Winston Churchill for improved pay.  This dates from 1918 when Churchill was Minister of Munitions and includes the signatures of lots of women employed in this role.  We are also fortunate to have a women’s police truncheon and WPS badge on display in the Museum.

Ministry of Munitions WPS badge from the Museum collection.

What did the women police do?  We know they inspected the girls as they entered and exited the Factory (for example one young woman tried to sneak in her knitting, another some cigarettes, one tried to steal some cordite).  They also policed the morals of the girls (breaking up a kissing couple on the railway platform, maintaining the 10pm curfew and inspecting the back rows of the two factory cinemas).  At the end of the War, some women remained in police service while others returned to their families or other employment.

That’s the end of Part One, Part Two coming soon.

If you’d like to know more about HM Factory Gretna and women in World War One, the following items from our online shop might interest you:

Gretna’s Secret War

Lives of Ten Gretna Girls booklet

https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/product/munition-workers-poems

The Devil’s Porridge Museum Guidebook

Shell damage to a goods waggon at West Hartlepool.

WW1 Railway Wagon Postcard

By Collections blog

This postcard (from the Museum’s collection) shows an explosion within a railway wagon during World War One.  Transporting munitions by rail was dangerous and at HM Factory Gretna (the factory which is the main focus of The Devil’s Porridge Museum) they took several precautions when transporting cordite including the use of fireless locomotives such as Sir James (now outside the Museum).

 

 

Although the railway stations were crowded at this time and both the West Hartlepool passenger station and goods station yard were hit, only rolling stock was damaged with no loss of life.

 

A fireless locomotive is a type of locomotive which uses reciprocating engines powered from a reservoir of compressed air or steam, which I filled at intervals from an external source. Typical usage was in industrial switching where a traditional locomotive was too noxious or risky, such as in a mine or a food or chemical factory (such as HM Factory Gretna). They were used at HM Factory Gretna as they were less likely to cause an explosion, this means that it was easier to transport the munitions across the Factory site without the risk of a huge chain explosion.

 

 

 

This photo is also from the Museum’s collection and shows HM Factory Gretna during its construction.  It has the title “Site 2 showing the scene of the accident” and is dated July 19th 1916.  It seems there may have been a railway accident at the Factory as well.

 

If you would like to know more about railways at HM Factory Gretna, you might find the following booklet of interest: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/product/hm-factory-gretnas-unique-railway-system-booklet

The royal visit to HM Factory Gretna during WW1 with exicted munitions workers.

John Charles Burnham Part 3

By Collections blog

John Charles Burnham comes to Gretna

 

In 1915 Burnham was loaned by his employers to the Ministry of Munitions and became Director of the Board of Management and Superintendent at H.M. Factory, Gretna a post which he held until 1921. During his time at Gretna, he was responsible for the smooth operation of the greatest factory in the world. Spanning nine miles across the Anglo-Scottish border and encompassing two purpose built townships, employing 30,000 people and creating over half of all the cordite produced in Britain during the War. Burnham oversaw it all.

 

In 1917 the King and Queen visited Gretna and Burnham was an integral part of their experience and can be seen in the photograph below standing in between the King and the other man (he is in the middle, walking slightly behind them).

At the end of the War, Burnham was a major part of the Armistice celebrations (his speech on November 11th 1918 was recorded in the local paper, the Annandale Observer as shown below).

 

John Charles Burnham.

John Charles Burnham Part 2

By Collections blog

John Charles Burnham in India

 

1894 – 1899

 

Burnham moved to India to work as Chief Chemist in an experimental Cordite Factory in Kirkee which is in the state of Maharashtra in West Central India (Mumbai is in the same state). The factory was listed as producing small arms and pistol ammunition. It is still there today.

 

1899 – 1915

Burnham was appointed Manager and Chemist at the Government of India Explosives Factory, Aruvankadu Nilgiris in the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. This factory produced Cordite and gun cotton (and still produces explosives today).

 

His advice was sought by the Government on many occasions, and his services were recognised by the award of the Companion of the Star of India (CSI) in 1911 at the Delhi Durbar which was hosted by King George V and Queen Mary (photographed below).

 

You can see our previous article about John Charles Burnham here: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/john-charles-burnham

 

If you enjoyed this article then the following books (available from our online shop) may be of interest to you:

Gretna’s Secret War

The Devil’s Porridge Museum Guidebook

Postcard of a ship the HMS Birmingham.

HMS Birmingham

By Collections blog

This is a postcard from our Museum store which shows a photo of the WW1 ship HMS Birmingham. HMS Birmingham was launched on the 13th of May 1913 and was commissioned in February 1914. She joined the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet in 1914, visiting Keil in June that year.

 

On August 9th 1914, she spotted the U-15, whose engines had failed as she lay stopped on the surface in heavy fog, off Fair Isle. The crew of Birmingham could hear hammering from inside the boat from attempted repairs, and so fired on her but missed. As the U-boat began to dive, she rammed her, cutting her in two. U-15 went down with all hands, the first U-boat loss to an enemy warship. Birmingham also sank two German merchant ships that year and took part in the battle of Heligoland on August 28th and the battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915. In February 1915, she joined the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, Attacking a U-boat on 18th June 1915 with no success.

 

She also took part in the battle of Jutland as a member of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron, during which she sustained damage caused by splintering during the night of the battle.

After the First World War, she was flagship for the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron in 1919-1920, after which she was transferred to the Nore from 1920-1922. Considered (with two other two shaft ‘Towns’) for conversion to a mine layer, but the idea was not pursued. She was recommissioned in November 1923 to the Africa Station with the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron as flagship, relieving Lowestoft. She then continued to serve in foreign stations until being sold in 1931. She arrived at the yards of Thos W Ward, of Pembroke dock on 12th March that year to be broken up.

 

If you’re interested in the history of the Second World War, you might find this book from our online shop of interest: https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/product/the-solway-military-coast-book

WW1 Railway Mounted Artillery illustration.

WW1 Postcards

By Collections blog

The postcard above shows some soldiers next to a railway mounted seige gun. These postcards from WW1 show soldiers in many different settings during the war for example some show soldiers using an antiaircraft gun, some show soldiers walking with their regiments and some show soldiers being treated for their injuries. You can see some of the postcards below.

 

This postcard shows some soldiers using an antiaircraft gun.

 

This postcard shows one soldier being treated for his injuries

 

Annan Academy Certificate for perfect attendance.

Old Annan Academy Certificates

By Collections blog

These certificates were being kept in our Museum store along with the Gretna Township school certificates which we posted about previously. The certificates were all donated by the same person and shows which years they were in the different schools during the 1920’s after the First World War.

 

The certificate below is from 1929 and was awarded for excellence in French, English and Science. The one above was awarded for Excellent Attendance for 2 years in 1928.

 

A man with his metal detector finds.

Finds from a metal detector

By News

A gentleman recently visited the Museum.  He is an amateur metal detector.  He spent time recently (with the landowner’s permission) exploring a field in Cumbria, near Keswick where a Roman fort had been.   He didn’t discover any Roman material that he is aware of but he did discover several objects which seem to relate to World War One and we are very grateful to him for donating them to the Museum.

metal detector finds gfro

The whole collection of recently donated objects.  There were 53 items altogether.

More research is needed into the location of the finds to see how it may have been used in the early twentieth century (the donor speculated that it may have been an army training ground) but we thought you’d like to see this unusual collection of items, some seemingly agricultural, others seem to be military and others are a complete mystery (at the moment).

Bullets and coins.

Agricultural items and a mysterious solid lead block (on left).

Military badges.

A spoon and mess tin.

One of the two glass bottles found. One is from Penrith and the other says Wigton, Silloth and Penrith on it.

A smiling person dressed in a apron with a broom.

Photographs, tour and information about Eastriggs online

By News

Just over a year ago, Sheila Ruddick, who was the Museum’s Secretary and a Trustee for over twenty years, took a group of young people on a tour of Eastriggs.  She showed them all the sites she had researched over the years for her own interest, for the Museum and for the map she produced ‘Eastriggs: Commonwealth Walk Guide’ (which is available from the Museum online shop – see below).

The young people (and Judith, the Museum Manager) enjoyed their afternoon exploring Eastriggs and listening to all the things that Sheila had to say.  Sadly, it was not long after this that Sheila’s health declined and she passed away much to the sadness of all at the Museum.

Vancouver Road as shown in an Auction Book from 1924 (when the Factory and townships were sold).

In case you aren’t aware, Eastriggs was built in World War One to house workers at HM Factory Gretna.  It originally had a cinema, dance hall, fire station and other amenities such as hostels for the workers.  The township was built along garden city principles and is named ‘The Commonwealth Village’ because its street names reflect the global nature of the workforce in the Factory (people came from India, Australia, South Africa etc. to contribute to the war effort here).

The young people involved have been working on and off on this map project for a year (there have been lots of interruptions due to study leave, people going to university etc.) but we have finally got an online version of the map in a condition to share with you.

Snow on The Ridge. Date unknown.

You will find photographs and information online (155 posts in total) here:

https://www.historypin.org/en/eastriggs-the-town-that-world-war-one-built-2/geo/54.985551,-3.169917,11/bounds/54.828984,-3.34302,55.14151,-2.996814/paging/1/pin/1128318

On some photos, you can compare the historic images with the current google street view image.   The photos date from different decades and there is information relating to who lived in some of the houses too.

The Green, Eastriggs, still recognisable today, it was originally built in World War One to include shops, a bank, cinema and dairy.

This project is by no means complete – we find out more every day and we will continue to add it to this website.  Members of the public can also share their own photographs and information to create a hub of Eastriggs history.

This map is not quite perfect but please do bear in mind that it was made completely for free by our young volunteers.  The important thing is that we are making as much information available to the public as possible – hope you enjoy having a look through it!

You can buy a paper copy of Sheila’s map here:

Eastriggs Commonwealth Walk Guide

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