Worker of the Week is a series of blog posts which highlights the workers at H.M. Factory Gretna that our volunteers researched for The Miracle Workers Project. This project aimed to centralise all of the 30,000 people who worked at Gretna during World War One and, although it may be over, our amazing research volunteers are continuing to uncover more stories about H.M. Factory Gretna workers to be added to this database. We are always looking to learn more about H.M. Factory Gretna workers. If you know anything about a H.M. Factory Gretna worker please feel free to get in touch with us by contacting info@devilsporridge.org.uk
This week’s Worker of the Week is Annie Corrin. A huge thank you to Annie’s granddaughters for their kind assistance with our research project and another thank you to all our research volunteers!
Early Life
- Firstly, Annie Woods was born on 1st April 1897 in Port St.Mary, Isle of Man.
- At this point, Annie was the youngest of five children.
- Her parents were Richard Wilkinson Woods and Ann Jane Radcliffe.
- Additionally, her father, Richard, worked as a miner.
Time at H.M. Factory Gretna
- When Annie was 19 she left the Isle of Man to go and work at H.M. Factory Gretna.
- Although, the government at the time chose to call the factory H.M. Factory Gretna, it is worth noting that the rural site of the factory ran from Dornock to Longtown. Additionally, the two townships of Eastriggs and Gretna were built to serve and facilitate those who worked there.
According to an interview with Annie about her time at the factory [2]:
- Originally, she stayed in the Central Hotel in Carlisle (now demolished) as this used to house munition workers.
- After this hotel becoming a hospital for the wounded, the munitions workers living there were sent to live in hostels in Gretna.
- Many of the factory hostels were named after famous people, such as the Florence Nightingale Hostel where Annie then lived.
- Below is a photo of inside of a hostel. Could where Annie stayed have looked like this?
- At the start, Annie worked at the Cordite section of the factory.
- Here:
“Her job was to separate large trays of cordite, by taking a handful and smashing the end, to separate the strands the strands. The strands were then put into boxes… and weighed.”
Interview with Mrs Annie Corrin, Stranraer Museum Gretna Girls Booklet, E. Ritchie [2]
- After this, the boxes were sealed with lids.
- To do this work she was provided with a “mop cap, tunic and trousers.” [2]
- Next, Annie changed to working at the loading sheds outside.
- Here she loaded boxes of cordite onto a tuck.
- After this she would have:
“pushed these trucks outside on rail tracks, for about a mile to another shed.”
Interview with Mrs Annie Corrin, Stranraer Museum Gretna Girls Booklet, E. Ritchie [2]
- Notably, she is recorded as not knowing what happened inside the sheds, but:
“does remember there were usually a couple of girls lying outside in what appeared to be a drunken state, caused by exposure to cordite.”
Interview with Mrs Annie Corrin, Stranraer Museum Gretna Girls Booklet, E. Ritchie [2]
- Consequently, she was given “oilskin coat and sou’wester hat” [2] for working outside. Could this be what she is wearing in the photo below? What do you think?
- Additionally, a man called Geordie appears to have given the munitions workers some direction on the best way to load the trucks.
Life After the Factory
- Next, near the start of 1919 Annie returned to the Isle of Man.
Charles and Annie Corrin. This photo was kindly shared with us by their granddaughters. A huge thank you to them.
- On the 5th November 1921 Annie married Charles Corrin.
- Following this, they went on to have three children.
- Lastly, Annie died in March 1993.
Sources and Further Reading
- Annie Corrin – https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/annie-corrin-gretna-girl
- Interview with Mrs Annie Corrin, Isle of Man (Aged 88) from Stranraer Museum The Gretna Girls booklet, E. Ritchie produced as result of Falkirk and Stranraer Museum Services joint exhibition “Women at War.”
Read Annie Corrin’s online database entry by clicking here>
Do you have a relative who worked at H.M. Factory Gretna? We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us by emailing info@devilsporridge.org.uk. You never know, maybe your relative feature in a future Worker of the Week blog post! You can also have a look at some more H.M. Factory Gretna workers on our online database here>
