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 the factory 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 to all our research volunteers.
Last week’s Worker of the Week Valentine Duffy stole shoes, this week’s Maggie Oxley stole clothing. If they’d worked together they might have a had a full outfit! We don’t recommend this behavior and both did get in trouble as result. Read on to find out more about Maggie Oxley.
Early Life
- Firstly Maggie Oxley was born in 1899 in Jarrow, Durham.
- Her parents were George W and Catherine Oxley.
- By 1901, the family is living at 24, Heburnian Road, Jarrow, South Sheilds.
- We know that Maggie is the eldest of two girls.
- Her father worked as a platers laborer for ships.
Time at H.M. Factory Gretna
- Next, we come across Maggie during World War One.
- No prizes for guessing that we think her job may have been connected to a certain munitions factory…
- This is because she appears in the newspaper under the ominous heading “Jarrow Girl in Trouble.”[1]
- Why exactly was Maggie in trouble? Well…
“Information was received from police that money and clothing to the value of £10 had been stolen and that Oxley had absconded. The whole of the clothing and part of the money had been recovered.”
– Sheild’s Daily Gazette Newspaper. [1]
- Consequently, Maggie was “remanded by the Jarrow magistrates… on a charge of theft.”[1]
- We know you’re wondering how this led us back to H.M. Factory Gretna, but as the newspaper article explains:
“Oxley belonged to Jarrow, but had been working at Gretna.”[1]
- Admittedly, this does not prove that Maggie was actually working at the factory itself.
- However, the two townships of Eastriggs and Gretna were built to serve and facilitate those who worked at the factory.
- Both townships played a vital role and would have been a major part in the lives of those who worked there.
- We think it’s important to remember the township workers too and if Maggie was one it is likely she would have been known by munitions workers at the local factory, or played some part in their lives.
- There is still the possibility that Maggie could have worked in factory (the rural site of this stretched from Dornock in Scotland to Longtown England) and this detail just wasn’t disclosed in the newspaper.
- What do you think could Maggie have worked in Gretna township or the factory itself?
- We do know that Maggie was 18 years old when this happened in 1917.
- It seems that “an escort” was sent to retrieve her after she “absconded.”[1]
- We’re presuming this was from Gretna to Jarrow, as it was reported in the local newspaper for the later who received “the information from the police”, but it could very well be the opposite. What do you think?
- Either way, perhaps it would have been for good reason.
- According to Bank of England’s Inflation Calculator £10.00 in 1917 would be worth approximately £619.71 as of July 2026.[2]
Later Life
- The last record we have found of Maggie so far is in South Sheilds.
- This is in the 1921 census.
- Unfortunately, we don’t know much more about Maggie’s later life at the time of writing.
- Do you know more, or have you come across something else about Maggie? If so we would love to hear from you and you’d be welcome to get in touch!
Sources and Further Reading
- “Jarrow Girl in Trouble”, Sheild’s Daily Gazette Newspaper, Monday 16th April 1917.
- Bank of England’s Inflation Calculator – https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator
Find Maggie Oxley’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 could 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>
