The Contribution of the Commonwealth
A new exhibition at the Devil’s Porridge Museum
June-September 2019
In 1915, Britain was in crisis. There was a shortage of ammunition. The government was toppled and a new man took the lead – David Lloyd George. He was appointed Minister for Munitions and tasked with turning the tide of the war.
Photo above is David Lloyd George
An urgent cable was sent to South Africa. There was one man who had the skills and expertise needed and he came via steam boat to London. That man was Kenneth Bingham Quinan ‘the great KBQ’ and his efforts would transform the British War effort.
Photo above is Kenneth Bingham Quinan
Quinan’s crowning glory was HM Factory Gretna (the story of which is the main focus of the Devil’s Porridge Museum). Scientists and engineers came from all over the world including New Zealand, Australia, Canada and India.
This exhibition explores some of their stories and the mark they left behind in the village of Eastriggs (the site of the Devil’s Porridge Museum). Eastriggs is ‘the Commonwealth village’ as the majority of its street names are derived from locations in the Commonwealth (such as Singapore Road, Vancouver Avenue, The Rand etc.)
This exhibition will run daily until September and is included in the museum admission charge.