It was arguably Britain’s greatest contribution to the victory story of World War I. During the four years of the Great War, 1914 – 1918, some 30,000 people flocked to south west Scotland to become part of HM Factory Gretna, a munitions factory known today as the Devil’s Porridge. In this factory the workers provided our troops with cordite explosive, a smokeless propellant that replaced the use of gunpowder in the military at this advancing time. Coined by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the name ‘Devil’s Porridge’ was given to the volatile paste that the female workers mixed by hand. According to Doyle the consistency of the paste resembled that of the comforting, warm breakfast but had a tendency to be unpredictable; the women could not wear rings or anything metallic because the slightest spark of friction would ignite the nitro-glycerine mixture and have devastating consequences.
To mark the centenary of the First World War, the Devil’s Porridge museum is moving to a brand new building in the village of Eastriggs, near Gretna in Dumfries and Galloway. The £1.2 million project, partly funded by the Coastal Communities Fund and other organisations, has involved creating a state-of-the-art facility designed with visitor satisfaction at the forefront. The museum will be family-friendly with interactive displays and an education and learning suite for school parties as well as a welcoming tearoom with a choice of hot and cold snacks and beverages. There will also be a space that can be hired out for temporary exhibitions and displays and an incorporated presentation of life in the later World War II.
Richard Brodie, Chairman of the Gretna and Eastriggs Heritage Trust explains the reasons behind the project. “We have an amazing story to tell. Who would have thought that in this quiet corner of south west Scotland 30,000 people made an unacknowledged contribution to one of the greatest episodes in British history?”
The brand new museum is opening in Eastriggs on 1 July 2014 and will be open all year round. The new premises is situated close to both the M6 and M74 and is only six miles from Gretna and easily accessible from both the north of England and central Scotland.
The museum is now taking bookings for the summer season. Group discounts are available for coach parties. Please email [email protected] for more details.
