British shadow factories: Difference between revisions
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The shadow factory proposals and implementation, particularly its rigidity when bombed, meant that that other key areas of military production prepared their own shadow factory plans. |
The shadow factory proposals and implementation, particularly its rigidity when bombed, meant that that other key areas of military production prepared their own shadow factory plans. |
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[[Birmingham Small Arms Company]] alone during the war controlled 67 factories from [[Small Heath]], employing 28,000 people operating 25,000 machine tools. This organisation produced more than half the small arms supplied to Britain's forces during the war. BSA's war production included: 500,000 Browning machine guns; 1,250,000 service rifles; 400,000 Sten guns; 10million shell fuses; 3.5million magazines; 750,000 anti-aircraft rockets.<ref>http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/aboutus.php</ref> |
*[[Birmingham Small Arms Company]] alone during the war controlled 67 factories from [[Small Heath]], employing 28,000 people operating 25,000 machine tools. This organisation produced more than half the small arms supplied to Britain's forces during the war. BSA's war production included: 500,000 Browning machine guns; 1,250,000 service rifles; 400,000 Sten guns; 10million shell fuses; 3.5million magazines; 750,000 anti-aircraft rockets.<ref>http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/aboutus.php</ref> |
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*[[Alvis]] had 20 sites in [[Coventry]] alone, producing vehicles and munitions.<ref>http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fD4BB05zviYC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=browns+lane+shadow+factory&source=bl&ots=-gzEEosiJ_&sig=Kx82eFcwBbvnPn6ugbtqGyXYjZo&hl=en&ei=65bpTLuYKZGYhQejvOi8CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=browns%20lane%20shadow%20factory&f=false</ref> |
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==List of shadow factories== |
==List of shadow factories== |
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Revision as of 22:07, 21 November 2010
British Shadow Factories were a plan developed by the British Government to implement additional manufacturing capacity for the British aircraft industry. Developed under the internal project name of the Shadow Scheme, the project was headed by Herbert Austin.
Background
In view of political developments in Europe, the British government decided in 1936 to formalise a scheme of expansion in the British aircraft industry. Informal questions had been asked before this point, such as those posed to Morris Motors in 1935, re aircraft engine production capability at their Cowley plant in Oxford.[1]
Implementation
The plan had two parts:
- Development of nine new factories
- Extension and extensions to existing factory complexes to allow either easier switching to aircraft industry capability, or production capacity expansion
Key to the plan were the products and plans of Rolls-Royce, whose Merlin engine powered many of the key aircraft being developed by the Air Ministry
, although the question had been raised in 1935 where, for example, Morris Motors at Cowley in Oxford about the supply of aero-engines [1]
In addition to building extensions to factories already in existence, a scheme for the construction of nine new factories for the manufature and assembly of aero engines, aircraft and associated equipment was also introduced. This scheme was also known as the Shadow Factory plan and was assisted from Government Funds. In the rearmament years up to May 1940 this plan was carried out by the Air Ministry and the Directorate of Air Ministry Factories.
The Directorate of Air Ministy Factories, under the auspices of the Ministry of Aircraft Production gradually took charge of the construction of the buildings required for aircraft producion.
In early 1943 the functions of the directorate of Air Ministry Factories were transferred to the Minstry of Works.
Information concerning the Shadow Factory plan and Shadow Factories can be found among the following records and descriptive series list code headings held by The National Archives, for fuller set of references (including German shadow factories) see the Catalogue.
Follow on initiatives
The shadow factory proposals and implementation, particularly its rigidity when bombed, meant that that other key areas of military production prepared their own shadow factory plans.
- Birmingham Small Arms Company alone during the war controlled 67 factories from Small Heath, employing 28,000 people operating 25,000 machine tools. This organisation produced more than half the small arms supplied to Britain's forces during the war. BSA's war production included: 500,000 Browning machine guns; 1,250,000 service rifles; 400,000 Sten guns; 10million shell fuses; 3.5million magazines; 750,000 anti-aircraft rockets.[2]
- Alvis had 20 sites in Coventry alone, producing vehicles and munitions.[3]
List of shadow factories
National Archive catalogue entries
| CATALOGUE REFERENCE | DESCRIPTION |
| AIR 19/1-10 | Shadow scheme and factories, 1935-1940 |
| AIR 20/2395 AIR 20/2396 | Shadow factories schemes |
| AIR 2, code 6/2 | Aircraft production, shadow factories |
| AVIA 15, code 25/1 | Factories general |
| AVIA 15, code 25/5 | Shadow factories |
| T 161/1070 | Insurance of Government property managed or maintained by private contractors; `Shadow' factories |
| T 161/1156 | Banking: Shadow factories banking accounts |
References
- ^ "Shadow Scheme: Morris Motors Ltd". National Archives. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
- ^ http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/aboutus.php
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fD4BB05zviYC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=browns+lane+shadow+factory&source=bl&ots=-gzEEosiJ_&sig=Kx82eFcwBbvnPn6ugbtqGyXYjZo&hl=en&ei=65bpTLuYKZGYhQejvOi8CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=browns%20lane%20shadow%20factory&f=false
- ^ http://aghs.jimdo.com/acocks-green-s-vulnerability/the-rover-shadow-factory/
- ^ http://www.archiveweb.cumbria.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqSearch=%28RefNo==%27YDB%2068%27%29