Recipe For Heroism
Museum tells the stories of the brave wartime workers who mixed vats of explosive “Devil’s Porridge”, turning the tide for frontline soldiers
WE all know Gretna’s reputation when it comes to love, but what about war? It turns out this peaceful little corner of Dumfries and Galloway – best known for weddings at Gretna Green – was also the scene of one of the most fascinating episodes of the First World War.
The construction of this sprawling munitions factory brought some of the brightest brains to a sleepy site on the Solway Firth more than a century ago.
HM Factory Gretna changed the course of the conflict, supplying enormous quantities of munitions for the soldiers fighting on the Western Front. But it was also at the forefront of major social change.
Of its 30,000 employees, 12,000 were women, and their contribution to the war effort was a factor in the decision to award some women the vote in 1918.
The stories of the “Gretna Girls” are brought to life at The Devil’s Porridge Museum at Eastriggs, between Gretna and Annan – and you can find out more about the women in our A to Z of Great Scots on page 71.
The museum owes its existence to a different kind of heroics – a group of volunteers who were determined to ensure their local history was not forgotten.
Their doggedness has seen the enterprise grow from a small exhibition in the village church into a contender for the title of most family-friendly museum in the UK. But first, what’s that name all about? “Devil’s Porridge” refers to the explosive cordite mixed at HM Factory Gretna. The phrase was coined by Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who visited when he was a war correspondent and marvelled at the Gretna Girls in action. He was struck by the sight of the women cheerfully stirring up huge vats of this toxic, volatile substance by hand. The factory had been built in response to the “shell crisis” – a shortage of ammunition for British soldiers fighting in France, which led to scandalised reporting in 1915.
David Lloyd George was made minister for munitions, pinpointing a nine-mile stretch of land – from Longtown in Cumbria to Dornock in Scotland – for the solution. HM Factory Gretna would very quickly become the biggest munitions factory in the world. More than 10,000 navvies were enlisted to begin construction in the autumn of 1915 and by April 1916 production had begun. Chemists, explosives experts and engineers were recruited from all corners of the globe to oversee the
production of cordite, and thousands of women travelled from across Britain to roll up their sleeves and do the dirty – and often dangerous – work.
“The Devil’s Porridge Museum tells the remarkable story of the people who came from all over the empire to do their bit,” says curator Rebecca Short.
Interactive displays explore topics such as life in the workers’ townships and state management of alcohol.
The museum also explores the impact of the Second World War on the Solway coast, when the former HM Factory Gretna became an ammunition depot. Hundreds of evacuees, Dr Barnardo’s boys and prisoners of war were posted to the area.
With them came the Land Girls and the Broom Lassies – workers at the Powfoot munitions factory built on
Broom Farm, whose exposure to cordite, TNT and other highly toxic chemicals turned their skin and hair yellow and earned them the nickname “the canary girls”.
The bombing of Gretna in 1941, when a German bomber killed 28 people, is also commemorated, as is the role of RAF Annan, which trained Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire pilots during the Second World War and later became the site of the Chapelcross nuclear power station.
The museum has a changing exhibition programme, which allows it to delve deeper into the archives. Its most recent display shed light on the efforts of disabled munitions workers – another untold story The Devil’s Porridge Museum worked hard on bringing to light.
“Some arrived in this area already disabled and declared unfit for war service, so they sought to ‘do their bit’ for king and country through munitions work,” says Rebecca. “Others were left with lifelong disabilities and chronic illnesses because of their wartime work.
“All risked life and limb to aid the war effort in both global conflicts of the 20th century.”