Warfare

Munitions in WW1: The Devil's Porridge


Listen Later

Harsh living and working conditions, poisonous chemicals and explosions. For 10,000 navvies, hundreds of chemists and engineers from across the empire, and 12,000 women, this was the reality of mixing the 'Devil's Porridge', cordite, in munitions factories on the Home Front. In 1915, an extreme shortage of munitions on the front line was reported back to Britain. In response Lloyd George was made the Minister of Munitions. His greatest project: HM Factory Gretna, the largest munitions factory in the world on the quiet Anglo-Scottish Border. Judith Hewitt curates the Devil's Porridge Museum, which is found on the 9 mile site of the former factory. In this episode of the World Wars, she told James the stories of the unknown men and women brought to work in this crisis: how they came to be here, how they lived and how they left or, for the unfortunate few, how they died.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

WarfareBy History Hit

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

516 ratings


More shows like Warfare

View all
HistoryExtra podcast by Immediate

HistoryExtra podcast

3,238 Listeners

The History of WWII Podcast by Ray Harris Jr

The History of WWII Podcast

3,976 Listeners

The WW2 Podcast by Angus Wallace

The WW2 Podcast

1,252 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,819 Listeners

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk by Goalhanger

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

1,417 Listeners

History of the Second World War by Wesley Livesay

History of the Second World War

587 Listeners

How and Why History by History Hit

How and Why History

109 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,380 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,686 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,897 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

2,066 Listeners

Short History Of... by NOISER

Short History Of...

2,869 Listeners

Patented: History of Inventions by History Hit

Patented: History of Inventions

180 Listeners

Battleground by Goalhanger

Battleground

340 Listeners

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society by History Hit

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

1,401 Listeners

American History Hit by History Hit

American History Hit

1,589 Listeners

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal by History Hit

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

1,137 Listeners

WW2: Both Sides of The Wire by Prof. Matthias Strohn & Jesse Alexander

WW2: Both Sides of The Wire

93 Listeners