British Fuze Manufacturers

[Graye]

My cousin and I are researching information concerning our great grandfather, an inventor, springmaker and needlemaker. We propose writing a book about him and are gathering as much information as we can.

In his paperwork we have found a letter from the Ministry of Munitions for War which says, in so many words, thanks for working for us but with the satisfactory turn of events this letter is a termination of your contract. It is dated 27.11.1918 and is from the director of A.M.3.B. ( FUZE PRODUCTION ) MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS FOR WAR to his company S.P.A.R. Manufacturing. We can't make out the signature but looks like Joseph Lichen. We believe he formed S.P.A.R. Manufacturing solely in connection with this venture because it was wound up shortly afterwards, whereas his original company continued to trade in needles and similar items.

We think he must have been making the safety springs for the fuzes and probably not the whole assembly but cannot be sure. Does anyone have a complete list of British fuze manufacturers for this period please? Or information on whether the manufacturers put the fuzes together from outsourced components?

He obviously worked well with the Ministry of Munitions because as soon as WW2 broke out he was engaged to produce the heavy springs for the British version of the Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns. Researching THAT is a whole different line of enquiry but we would really like to follow up what he was doing with the fuzes in WW1 if anyone gave give us any pointers please.

[nigelfe]

Until 1914 all fuzes were produced at Woolwich. After that many private sector companies and National Filling Factories also undertook fuze production in UK, although there was always a difference between production (making fuzes) and filling (adding the explosive elements) also Swiss (after the French did all their own production) and the US although it's not entirely clear whether this was completed fuzes or just components.

See History of the Ministry of Munitions, Vol X The Supply of Munitions, Part V Gun Ammunition: Filling and Completing.

The first companies in 1914 had previously provided components to Woolwich, Raleigh Cycle Coy and Sterling Telephone and Electric Coy, but there were many more as the war went on including the major armaments companies.

[bob lembke]

I might mention a fascinating tid-bit on the topic of British fuzes in WW I; I understand that many or all British fuzes were actually a patented Krupp design, and pre-war the UK paid Krupp a small royalty per shell; so after the war (about 1925) Krupp approached the UK asking for payment of the contracted royalties, and eventually the UK actually paid up, but seemingly their estimation of how many fuzes were used seemed to be astonishingly low. (It is no surprise that Krupp waited a while before applying for the royalties; I would imagine that they would have gotten a different response if the request came in February 1919.)

This information comes from Manchester's The Arms of Krupp, a book that had unique sources, such as many interviews with Krupp family menbers now deceased, but which in my opinion (as one who has some knowledge of the the matters covered from primary sources) is filled with a considerable number of errors, so I urge care in using the above bit of info, some corroboration.

It is fascinating that the UK (and Germany, as well, I think), was able to outsource the production of such an important and difficult-to-manufacture item, and it is a tribute to your great-grand-father that he was able to successfully manufacture such a tricky item. I am sorry that my above comment veered a bit OT (it was started about 45 seconds after I had woken up), although it is an interesting bit; more constructively, I can provide you with some information on the difficulty of making such fuzes in a different venue (Turkey ca. 1915), if that is of interest to you in your book research.

Bob Lembke

[Rockdoc]

Bob, I was told recently that, although a sum was agreed, Krupp received nothing. The amount was subtracted from the reparations to Britain so there was an ulterior motive in keeping the level low.

Keith

[TonyE]

I have a Min. of Mun. list of fuze makers dated July 1916 and will check it for you. However, if the company was making components, i.e. springs rather than complete fuzes, I would not expect to find them on that list.

Someone may have the Ministry list of contracts for artillery ammunition and components but I only have one for smallarms and ammunition.

Regards

TonyE

[Terry_Reeves]

Witrh regard to Krupp, this may be useful:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1915/jul/26/patent-fuses

Both companies believed they had a legal obligation to pay outstanding royalties to Krupp despite the war. It took some time to sort out. There is a file at TNA which covers this in full.

With regard to fuze manufacturers: as has been noted in the original question, this is complicated by the fact that parts were supplied by component manufacturers. After the war, the Ministry of Munitions published a catalogue of companies who had carried out war work. As well as war-time work, it also lists their pre-war manufacture. I don't think it is comprehensive, but it contains thousands of manufacturers, large and small. This is the reference:

MUN 5/166/1126/3 Directory of Manufacturers in Engineering and Allied Trades ...... H.M.S.O.

TR

[nigelfe]

UK did actually copy a German mechanical time fuze they captured during the war, although they don't seem to have produced huge numbers. I've no idea who owned the IP.

At the outbreak of war there were Nos 17 and 44 (DA) and 80 (Time). No 31 would seem to fit in there somewhere, and doubtless RN did its own thing.

[Rockdoc]

I believe the design was built up slowly from recovered fragments of a number of fuzes but it was too intricate for any British manufacturer to make so its reverse engineering was sub-contracted to a Swiss clock-maker.

Keith

[johnreed]

This a extract from "The House of Krupp" by Peter Batty.On page 135. "Yet the most bizarre claim of all, and one that has never been satisfactorily cleared up, was that many of the British shells fired against German troops in the First World War bore a patent mark KPZ 86/04 denoting that they contained a fuze made under licence from Krupp's by British armmament manufacturers such as Vickers! a licence which usually earned the Essen firm about 1s 3d per fuze."

As regards to the Mechanical Time Fuze. In 1916 the British recovered German Shrapnel rounds more or less undamaged and discovered that it contained a clockwork mechanism, it contained a fully wound clock and that at the end of the set time it released a catch which fired a detonator to operate the shell. Work commenced in Britain to developed a Mechanical Time similar to the one discovered, enormous difficulties were encountered in manufacturing such a device with first trials were in 1917 this fuze was only produced in small numbers for demonstratios and trials, this fuze did not enter service until after the war ended. This was allocated a number which was 200.

See drawing of the Krupp Mechanical Time Fuze please excuse the condition.

John

[JimSmithson]

I know this is a little bit of a hijack but an earlier thread a year ago or so got me nowhere and there seem to be lots of 'fuse folk technophiles' on here. I am trying to ascertain how many Fuse 106 were available for the April 1917 battles. So far I get the impression that in some quarters they were available in numbers but in others (read 21st and 30th division) they were rare if not unavailable. Is there a way of finding out as even artillery unit and ammunition train diaries are not as forthcoming as I would have hoped.

This might sound a little 'anorak' as a question but I promise you it does make a heck of a difference to what went on in that month of 1917.

Jim

[auchonvillerssomme]

Witrh regard to Krupp, this may be useful:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1915/jul/26/patent-fuses

Both companies believed they had a legal obligation to pay outstanding royalties to Krupp despite the war. It took some time to sort out. There is a file at TNA which covers this in full.

With regard to fuze manufacturers: as has been noted in the original question, this is complicated by the face that parts were supplied by component manufacturers. After the war, the Ministry of Munitions published a catalogue of companies who had carried out war work. As well as war-time work, it lists their pre and post-war manufacture. I don't think it is comprehensive, but it contains thousands of manufacturers, large and small. This is the reference:

MUN 5/166/1126/3 Directory of Manufacturers in Engineering and Allied Trades ...... H.M.S.O.

TR

The discussion was still ongoing in the October

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1915/oct/20/fuses-krupp-patents#S5CV0074P0_19151020_CWA_17

[Graye]

Thanks for your input on this question. Just one further comment, I've looked more closely at the letter and realise it is signed Torphichen, ie John Gordon Sandilands, Lord Torphichen. Strangely enough he was then involved with a patent application my greatgrandfather filed some years later too.

I'm still hoping we will come up with more information on this but I've found the technical bits interesting all on their own, thank you.

[Terry_Reeves]

Graye

I have looked through the Directory of Manufacturers in the Engineering and Allied Trades mentioned in my previous post. There at least 200 fuze manufacturers listed. This is the entry For S.P.A.R Manufacturing Ltd, Peakman St, Redditch:

War Work: Fuze parts, sparking plug pins, carburettor needles, pins, nuts, screws ect. Swaging and roll threading.

Employees Male 70 Female 60.

Pre-war work: Small steel parts, wire work, press work. Press scouring and polishing machines and needle making machinery of every description.

As you can see it talks about fuze parts, not the complete item.

TR