Annie Greaves is perhaps one of Gooles least well-known success figures, and the Goole Civic Society are making plans to ensure that Annie is remembered in the town. 2019 was the Centenary of the Womens Engineering Society and one of their tweets told the storey of Annie Greaves; born in Goole. Annie was previously unknown to the members of the Civic Society, and was selected to be the recipient Societys fourth blue plaque. Tracing Annies life proved to be troublesome however. Annie was born in December 1888, in Goole, to parents John and Emma Harris. During her early years Annie lived at 9 Aire Street. By 1901 the family lived at 3 Jackson Street and her mum worked as a confectioner, a career which Annie followed into. In 1909 Annie married Somerton Greaves, who earned his money in the Shipping Industry, and the couple went on to have four children. In the early 1920s Annie moved into Quarrying and by 1925 was elected to be the first Woman member of the Institute of Quarry Managers. One of Annies great successes was to invent the Betna Cast Stone. Over her career Annie was to establish three companies, including the Weeland Sand Co. & CF Harris Ltd. Annie and Somerton lived apart during the latter part of their marriage and Annie moved to live Pontefract and Wharfedale with her children. By 1948 Annie disappears from the records and left a mystery for the Society as to what happened to her. Annies Companys continued during the 20th century and their records are available to view on the Companies House. Several active directors are shown with interests in the Companies and their successors. To try and find Annies later years the Society wrote to several of the Company directors and thankfully received a reply. In 1948 Annie sold all of her Companies to a Mr Douglas Middleton-Walker, whose son is a current Company Director, and remembers his father saying Annie emigrated to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) having sold up. Another search of the records found an Annie emigrating with her son Keigh and living out her years in Rhodesia. Annie died at the age of 83 in Salisbury (now Harare), with her death certificate still showing her as a native of Goole. Annie will be commemorated with a blue plaque in Aire Street during early 2022.

The Civic Society would like to remember Annie by erecting a blue plaque on her childhood home in Aire Street Goole and prepare a leaflet to celebrate her life.