munitions

Question 1

before the great war what was Scotland’s involvement like in the production of weaponry

Answer 1

scotland was heavily involved in the production of weaponry

Question 2

which company’s diversified and what else where they now making

Answer 2

Beardmore’s were producing aircraft and artillery aswell as ships and Browns was producing tanks - this continued into the war

Question 3

what was the shell scandle and what impact did it have

Answer 3

the shell scandle was reported in newspapers and stated that lives were being lost on the western front as a result of a shortage of high explosive shells

consequently the munitions of war act 1915 brought all essential industries under government control and established the ministry of munitions under the leadership of Lloyd George

Question 4

how many purpose built munitions factories were built in scotland and where?

Answer 4

six purpose built munitions factories where built on clydeside where many skilled engineering workers were located

Question 5

how big was the site at gretna, how many did it employ etc

Answer 5

the site at gretna for example stretched for 9miles
it employed 20,000 workers to make the explosive core for shells

Question 6

what was built to accommodate so many workers

Answer 6

the towns of gretna and easteriggs were built which included hostels, housing, cinemas, churches and social facilities

Question 7

what happened to munitions factories after the war

Answer 7

factory’s which had been placed under government control returned to there pre-war owners and many war-time factories closed down

Question 8

what happened to the massive HM factory at Gretna

Answer 8

it was parcelled into lots in an attempt to sell it off