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 A huge thank you goes out to our amazing team of research volunteers for making this possible!
This week’s Worker of the Week, Christina Muddie Thom was a matron of one of the factories hostels.
Early Life
- On 21st June 1873, in Elgin, Morayshire, Christina was born to John Thom and Annie nee Fisher.
- In 1876, Christina’s older sister 6 year old Mary died.
- In the 1881 census, the family are still living in Elgin. Christina is 7 years old and her father is a commercial traveller working with cloth.
- By 1890, Christina was part of a large family of around 12 surviving children.
Schooling
- According to The Elgin Courant and The Morayshire Advertiser newspapers, Christina attended West End School, Elgin. [1] [2]
“Christina M Thom, West End School, Elgin. Geography and History 54, Scripture 44, Mathematics 40.”
– Junior Certificates, Friday 8th August 1890, The Elgin Courant newspaper and The Morayshire Advertiser newspaper.
[1][2]
- In the 1891 census, 17 year old, Christina is a governess pupil at Westby House, Lytham.
A Teaching Background
- According to The Glasgow Evening Post newspaper from Friday 10th May 1895, it seems as though Christina had continued to actively work in education after her time as a governess pupil.
- It seems that a lot happened in Christina’s family in 1898. One of her sisters, Annie married a miner. Later that year one of her brother’s James Duncan died aged 19. A year later Annie had a child, but her husband died shortly after this.
- In the 1901 census, Christina, aged 27 years old, is a governess.
- After this some of Christina’s siblings seemed to have married and moved to South Africa or Canada. No record of Christina traveling here has been found.
- In 1908 another of her brother’s married in Glasgow.
- In 1909, her brother John Fisher died in Canada.
- On 7th April 1910, Christina’s father John died in Glasgow Infirmary.
- During World War One, one of her brothers, Randolph was in the Cameron Highlanders. James Duncan had previously served in Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders prior to his death from tuberculosis.
H.M. Factory Gretna
- From both the electoral register and the valuation rolls for Eastriggs in 1918 to 1919, we know that 45 year old Christina Muddie Thom worked as a matron.
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- Inside a hostel.
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- Inside a hostel.
- As a matron Christina would have been in look after the young munitions workers living in her hostel. For many of the girls who lived there this would have been their first time living away from home.
- In addition to providing accommodation, hostels would provide food to those that lodged there. Matrons would also issue meal vouchers for any food that the lodgers were entitled to during their shifts at H.M. Factory Gretna, which could be redeemed in the factories canteen. [5]
Hostels had there own messrooms were lodgers would eat outside their time on shift at the Factory.
- The valuation rolls and that Christina had an assistant to help, as well as maid, Georgina Little.
- She was a matron of Drake house hostel, 47-61 Dunedin Road, Eastriggs.
(Many of the hostels for the factory were named after real people, such as Edith Cavell and Florence Nightingale. The hostel that Christina worked in was named after Sir Francis Drake, who is often recognized for circumnavigating the globe and his role in defeating the invading Spanish Armada. However, Drake was involved in piracy, colonialism and slave trade.[3] [4])
Edith Cavell Hostel in Gretna from our archive. The buildings here would have been similar to Drake’s Hostel in Eastriggs.
Nursing
- According to the 1928 nursing register, Christina trained as a nurse at the Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow in 1920 to 1921,
- Her address is given on the register was the same address her sister Annie, who lived at in Greenock according to the 1911 census.
Later Life
- It seems that Christina lived in a nursing home in Colliesdene, Strathaven in many years after she retired from nursing.
- On 9th January 1946, Christina died at the nursing home. She was 73 years old.
Sources and Further Reading
[1] ‘Junior Certificates’, Friday 8th August 1890, ‘The Elgin Courant’ newspaper. [2] ‘Junior Certificates’, Friday 8th August 1890, ‘The Morayshire Advertiser’ newspaper. [3] Sir Francis Drake Information and Blog Post, The Golden Hind – https://www.goldenhinde.co.uk/discover/sir-francis-drake and https://www.goldenhinde.co.uk/blog/278-drake-was-a-slave-trader [4] Sir Francis Drake, History of England Historic UK – https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sir-Francis-Drake/ [5] ‘The Factory Manual’, From H.M. Factory Gretna from The Devil’s Porridge Museum’s archive.Find Christina Muddie Thom’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>
