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 so 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 Winifred Maud McLintic a member of the Women’s Police Force. A huge thank you to Nigel Crompton for his research and Winifred’s great-niece for kindly sharing photos and further information with us!
*** Please be aware this blog post includes some information about shell shock and historic perspectives on mental health.***
Early Life
Winifred Maud McLintic was born on 16th February 1891. Her older brother, Francis was born on 4th August 1897 in Valetta, Malta. It is likely that Winnifred’s early years were also spent in Malta with her brother and parents James and Catherine. Her farther, James McLintic was a NCO in the Royal Garrison Artillery, so it is likely that the family lived in British Army accommodation on Malta.
Winifred and her brother with her parents. A huge thank you to her relative for kindly sharing this photo with us.
By 1903 part of the family must have been living in or near Beauly, North Inverness. This is where Winifred’s mother Catherine was buried in 1903.
On the 29th May 1906, Francis had enlisted in Inverness, joining the Cameron Highlanders 5th battalion.
Meanwhile, the first tangible evidence for Winifred being in Great Britain is the Scottish 1911 census where she is shown as living at 30 Colinton Road, Morningside, Edinburgh, employed by the Ford Sisters as a housemaid and waiting at table.
Francis Thomas McLintic
Francis Thomas McLintic and his father. A huge thank you to Winifred’s great-niece for sharing this photo with us.
On the 10th May 1915, the Cameron Highlanders the 5thbattalion landed in Boulogne, France and Francis discharge certificate states that this was his last entry into conflict. He was discharged in on 1st March 1918 in Perth after serving 11 years 277 days. According to his discharge certificate this is “in consequence of being no longer physically fit for War Service.” In a casualty record issued in 1915 he is referred to as “F McLintie” and as “suffering from shock shell.”
According to The National Archives website, the term shell shock would have been relatively new when Francis was given this diagnoses, as it was only coined by medical officer Charles Myers in 1915 [1]. As the Imperial War Museum explains here, World War One was the first time “psychological trauma of warfare was formally recognised” [2], meaning that it was misunderstood by many people. At the time it could be wrongly seen as sign cowardice [3] and unfortunately it appears as though that Francis family at the time may have felt this. Francis great-niece shared with us that she had been told that Francis had died in the war.
However, Francis’ great-niece’s research that she has kindly shared with us has uncovered Francis’ true story, and allowed us to share it. Although, she shared with us that, after Francis’ discharge “he no longer knew his wife and family and spent from 1916 to 1963 in hospitals and died in Edinburgh in the care of the Little Sisters of the Poor,” he is still remembered through the research and actions taken by his great-niece.
Winifred at H.M. Factory Gretna
Winifred seemed to join the Women’s Police force at Gretna in June 1918, but we have not located any address for Winifred during this time. She seems to have worked here until September 1919. We know the Women’s Police Force at Gretna had many duties such as searching munitions workers on the way into the factory to ensure they were not smuggling any materials, such as matches, hair pins or metal knitting needles in to the factory. They were working with explosive materials at H.M. Factory Gretna items like these, or any metal items could cause an explosion. If munitions workers were found with these items, the offending article would be taken from the worker and they would be fined. In one instance we are aware of metal buttons even were cut off a munitions worker’s corset!
After H.M. Factory Gretna
Following her time at Gretna, Winifred joined the Walsall Borough Police in 1921 according to West Midlands Police records. There are various local newspaper articles from Walsall that record some of Winifred’s causes. There is one were a 13 year old is caught wearing stolen clothing from a second hand shop, only for more missing items from that very same shop to be found when Policewoman McLintic called at her and her stepmother’s home! According to another article she once had to “knock down” the son of a women she was arresting for being drunk and disorderly when he was trying to help his mother escape!
Here is a photo of Winifred Maud McLintic during her time in working at Walsall. Thank you to Winifred’s great-niece for kindly sharing this photo with us.
In December 1930 she resigned from her work in the police giving one months notice. The timing of this could be seen to suggest that she left to get married the following month. On the 24th January 1931 to Winifred married George Ernest Crook. George was a fellow Walsall police officer who rose to the rank of inspector. They had two children.
Interestingly, the Walsall Borough magistrates in 1935 heard a case of theft during which evidence was given by a Policewoman McLintic. Could Winifred have later gone back to working in the police force? Or could it have been the result of one of her many past cases? Winifred’s police record does not show her re-joining the force and we’ve found no record to support this, but it’s not impossible. It would lovely to think that married family life didn’t stop Winifred’s police work! At the very least we know she may have been involved in one more case.
George & Winifred later moved to a bungalow in Solihull. It was here that Winifred passed away on 16th December 1981.
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Sources and Further Reading
Find Winifred Maud McLintic’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>
