Munition Factories

[Bob Coulson]

Asked this question before but unfortunately lost the info.

Does anyone know of a book covering location of munition factories in the UK during WW1.

[Terry_Reeves]

Bob

I'm not sure that you will find a comprehensive list due to the complexity of the organisation. There were of course the more well known establishments such as the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, but the 1915 Munitions Act also allowed civilian firms to be come "controlled establishments" where special rules applied. Many companies had military contracts of course, but they could also use spare capacity to produce items such as shells and fuses ect.

For example, in my home town of Coventry. car firms such as Siddley-Deasey and Daimler, not only produced military vehicles and aeroplanes, but also unfilled shells. These would then be sent to National Filling Factories. Triumph, then a major manufacturer of motor cycles and bicycles, used spare capacity to manufacture artillery fuses. White and Poppe, stopped vehicle engine production and turned their whole output over to the manufacture of a particular type of artillery fuse and also became designated a National Filling Factory. This company alone produced 20,000,000 fuses during the war and employed 7,000 people.

"The Routledge Atlas of the First World War" by Martin Gilbert gives the location of the major centres for munitions production and "Arms and the Wizard" by RJQ Adams gives the background to the establishment of war time munitions production in the UK and will give you some leads .

Terry Reeves

[Ivor Lee]

Bob

If you can get to the PRO, Kew have a look at Class MUN and in particular the documents in MUN 5.

I know there is a file dated c1915 (reference MUN 5/6/170/16) "List of factories offered to government for arms manufacture"

[Sgt York]

Bob,

I can only give one location of a munitions factory, I know of for sure.

It was located in my hometown of Litherland, Lancashire. The name of the factory was 'Brothertons'. Litherland is a few miles to the North of Liverpool.

The factory is mentioned in 'Goodbye To All That' by Robert Graves. It was only a stones throw from Litherland Army Camp (Mersey Garrison) where the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers were based. Graves had reservations about the close proximity of the factory to the camp, and also described the colour of the skin of the women factory workers from Brothertons. Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon both spent time at the camp. I recall reading some disparaging remarks Sassoon had made about the area when he was there, which I wasn't too pleased about in reading.

One incident pertaining to the factory in the Great War was the death of a surveyor working in the sewers. He died from the noxious gases in the sewers, which had eminated from the factory.

The factory was only demolished last year and the subsoil of the demolished factory is now being tested for poison waste etc and its suitability for the safe rebuilding on. Partly due to the effects of the Great War still after 84 years.

Ronnie.

[Frank_East]

Bob,

Apparently there were about 250 Munitions Factories in the Great War.While the greater number were large concerns,there were a smaller number of small installations which undertook work of shell filling and employed relatively young people,usually boys.(I remember being told by a man years ago that he was "shell filling" in nothing more than a shed as a 14 year old in the Great War)

Quite a large number were recommissioned as Royal Ordnance Factories in the late 1930s as UK rearmament was mobilised.No doubt there should be some information in the archives of ROFs which I think came under the Ministry of Supply.Having said that, the ROFs finally passed into private hands and this information may have gone astray.

As for the Munition Factories themselves.

No1 National Shell Filling Factory was at Barnbow,Leeds and was said to have employed 28000 people,a large proportion being women.Near to this site ROF,Leeds

was established in 1939 and went on to produce tanks for over 50 years until closed by Vickers in 1999.

Royds Green ,Leeds was another site of a Munitions Factory (having seen the gravestone of a Castleford woman who was killed in an explosion there)

No 6 National Shell Filling Factory was at Chilwell,Nottingham which also went on to be a large ROF in WW2 and beyond.

White Lund Estate near Morecambe, Lancashire also was the site of a Munitions Factory and is recorded as experiencing an explosion in 1917 whch went on for several days.

There were a number of MFs in the Carlisle and Gretna areas.Lloyd George blamed adverse productivity in these munitions factories on the drinks trade and drinking times in this area and as a result brought in legislation to restrict public house opening times throughout the UK.

Silvertown ,in East London was another site used but it was chosen as a site for purifying TNT,a known hazardous and dangerous process. Not surprisingly a disasterous explosion occurred on January 19th 1917 which left only one survivor from those on shift .There is a good account of this incident in one of the "After the Battle" magazines.

On personal note my Great Aunt was one of 35 women who lost their lives in an explosion at the Barnbow Shell Filling Factory on December 6th 1916. News was restricted and the Death Certificate gives little detail other than by "an explosion at a Shell Factory".The victims are remembered by a memorial within York Minster.

Needless to say it would be interesting to read the publications already mentioned.

Regards

Frank East

[Bob Coulson]

Many thanks to all for your suggestions.

[Ivor Lee]

Bob

Have you checked in "The History of the Ministry of Munitions"? As I understand it this is a 12 volume set that is available at some libraries and universities. There is certainly a copy at the British Library.

I seem to remember A J P Taylor saying once that these volumes had never been put on sale but may be wrong about this.