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 H.M. Factory 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, Clifford Arthur Abbot, came all the way from Australia to work at H.M. Factory Gretna. A huge thank you to our research volunteers for making this possible.
Early Life
On the 28th June 1892, Clifford was born in Adelaide, Australia to Frederick Arthur and Matilda Jane Abbot. Frederick worked as a dock worker.
Unfortunately, we don’t know much about Clifford’s early life.
H.M. Factory Gretna
We next find him arriving in Plymouth on 2nd December 1916. This change of location is likely to be because H.M. Factory Gretna needed chemists and Cliffard had the skills to be one!
People came from many Commonwealth to work at H.M. Factory Gretna, just like Clifford. Eastriggs, one of the townships that was built for factory workers, is often known as the Commonwealth village with street named after locations in Commonwealth countries. This includes street names like Singapore Road, The Rand, Delhi Road, Vancouver Road and Melbourne Avenue, which can be seen in the photo below.
Perhaps it is fitting then, that during his time employed at the factory Clifford lived in Eastriggs. More specifically he lived in Anzac House, Eastriggs.
Clifford wasn’t the only Australian working at H.M. Factory Gretna. [4] When Cyril Callister (the future inventor of Vegemite!) joined the Australian Imperial Force to fight in World War One, he was re-directed to work at H.M. Factory Gretna. [1]
We also know Arthur Parkin was born in Australia and went on to work as a chemist at H.M. Factory Gretna, living at 11, The Ridge in Eastriggs. In 1917, Arthur and his wife Grace had a daughter called Gretna! [2] Gretna went on to become a renowned scientist. [3]
There’s also evidence of people who worked at the factory with connections to other Commonwealth countries such as, South Africa and Egypt. [5] We find it important to remember them, as well as, the impact they had and vital role they played at H.M. Factory Gretna.
Although Cliffard Arthur Abbort’s experience may be from the past, we know that the varied experience of migration and home across different communities is equally important today. We hope to foster empathy and raise awareness of this by sharing diverse personal narratives through our Exploring the Commonwealth, Migration and Home project.
You can read more about this at the end this blog post and we would love to hear from you if you have migrated from a Commonwealth country or have Commonwealth heritage and would like to share your story.
In the meantime, we return to Clifford Arthur Abbotts story below.
Mustard Gas
In 1918, Clifford moved again. This time to Avonmouth, as did many other chemists who were involved in the production of mustard gas. It does indeed seem as though he was involved in its manufacture.
Marriage and Later Life
On Boxing Day in 1918, Clifford married Isobella Glimour Naismith Ferguson at Dunfermline. Clifford was described as a chemist, while Isobella (who also seems to have gone by the nickname Bella) was a munition worker. We have found no record of Isobella working at H.M. Factory Gretna so far, but that’s no reason to say that we just haven’t come across her yet. There is plenty of people we still have to research!
In 1919, Clifford and Bella moved to Papua, New Guinea.
It seems that they later moved back to Australia, as this is were Clifford died on 7th June 1977, aged 85.
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Sources and further reading
[1] Worker of the Week: Cyril Callister – https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/cyrilcallister
[3] Gretna Margaret Weste Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna_Margaret_Weste
Find Clifford Arthur Abbot’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>
Join our Project: Exploring the Commonwealth, Migration & Home
This is something The Devil’s Porridge Museum is looking to explore further. Currently, The Devil’s Porridge Museum is researching the historical and contemporary factors that drive migration within the Commonwealth nations, exploring personal narratives of migration, and examining the meaning of home through our Commonwealth, Migration and Home project. Our project seeks to foster empathy and awareness of the varied experiences of migration and home across different communities. We are looking for people who have migrated Commonwealth country or have Commonwealth heritage to help us with this project and we would love to hear your story.
By sharing your experiences, you will help create a deeper understanding of migration, identity and home, while contributing to a project that highlights diverse voices and histories. If you would be interested in getting involved in our Commonwealth, Migration and Home Project you can read more by clicking here>
