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Wartime Factory Production

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Wartime Factory Production

Postby Malc2098 » 05 Oct 2018, 12:57

I have been communicating online with a former colleague with whom our mutual interest are certain types of aircraft because he did his apprenticeship at an establishment in Hatfield and the last plane he worked on was BAe 146, the so called whisper jet.

Anyway, he and I have passing interests in both full size and RC scale aircraft, especially those from the former Hatfield factory, and he sent me a wartime film promoting the construction of the DH Mosquito in Australia. He sent it to me because a lot of my service was around the High Wycombe area and as some of you may know, High Wycombe at that time (wartime, not my service time - I'm ahead of you :D ) was the centre of the British furniture trade was repurposed to build aeroplanes.

I did a little research and came across this website and couldn't stop reading and clicking on links.

If you have time, you might find the same, especially if you click on the DH Mosquito link.

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/E._Gomme
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby RogerS » 05 Oct 2018, 16:05

Thanks forposting that link, Malc. Loads of good stuff there.

If you're into RC planes, did you see the series on TV of the model aircraft re-enacting the Battle of Britain ?
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Phil » 05 Oct 2018, 16:08

Thanks Malc.
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Malc2098 » 05 Oct 2018, 19:48

RogerS wrote:Thanks forposting that link, Malc. Loads of good stuff there.

If you're into RC planes, did you see the series on TV of the model aircraft re-enacting the Battle of Britain ?


You're welcome, Roger, but no, I didn't see that.
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Malc2098 » 05 Oct 2018, 19:49

Phil wrote:Thanks Malc.


You're welcome, Phil.

How's stuff down there? Been missing you.
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Woodbloke » 05 Oct 2018, 22:50

Malc2098 wrote:
RogerS wrote:Thanks forposting that link, Malc. Loads of good stuff there.

If you're into RC planes, did you see the series on TV of the model aircraft re-enacting the Battle of Britain ?


You're welcome, Roger, but no, I didn't see that.


You didn't miss much: it was dreadful. Much, much better to read James Holland's 'The Battle of Britain' which I've just finished. It's a really excellent account of all the wartime activities (the rise of WSC as PM, the fall of France, Mers el Kebir, Dunkirk and finally The BofB) of 1940, illustrated with testimony from both sides. Highly recommended - Rob
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby RogerS » 06 Oct 2018, 07:29

Woodbloke wrote:
Malc2098 wrote:
RogerS wrote:Thanks forposting that link, Malc. Loads of good stuff there.

If you're into RC planes, did you see the series on TV of the model aircraft re-enacting the Battle of Britain ?


You're welcome, Roger, but no, I didn't see that.


You didn't miss much: it was dreadful. .....


Depends whether model aircraft are your 'thing'.
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Woodbloke » 06 Oct 2018, 07:52

RogerS wrote:
Depends whether model aircraft are your 'thing'.


I dabbled in it many years ago when the kids were small. I saw the first episode and thought it was utter cr@p, though JH did a very good job of explaining about the aircraft and tactics during the BoB but generally the whole thing had been hyped up to be much better than it actually was - Rob
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Malc2098 » 06 Oct 2018, 09:59

Gents, we're getting away from the main theme of this thread, the relationship between wood furniture manufacture and wooden aircraft production in wartime, and stumbling across a really interesting website.
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Woodbloke » 06 Oct 2018, 10:52

Malc2098 wrote:Gents, we're getting away from the main theme of this thread, the relationship between wood furniture manufacture and wooden aircraft production in wartime, and stumbling across a really interesting website.

C'est la guerre :lol: - Rob
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Malc2098 » 06 Oct 2018, 12:06

Very droll! :-)
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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Rod » 06 Oct 2018, 14:27

Although it seems archaic to make planes out of wood, it is a much cheaper material than aluminium etc and much easier to source and repair.
We achieved a much greater output of replacement aeroplanes because of that and was able to spread the production to smaller factories dotted around the country including traditional furniture ones.
Mechanical production was also “outsourced” to various factories who changed from “civil” products to wartime ones. Rover built Merlin engines and took over some “secret” underground tunnels to produce them safe from German bombers. They also stole details of the secret jet engines being developed and produced the first jet powered car in 1949.
Spreading production around the country kept some away from the Bombers. My father was transferred from the RAF to the vast AVRO factory at Yeadon to work on Lancaster Bombers.
The factory was disguised as a farm with stuffed cows standing on its roof. It still exists next to the Leeds/Bradford Airport.

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Re: Wartime Factory Production

Postby Woodbloke » 06 Oct 2018, 14:56

Rod wrote:...to spread the production to smaller factories dotted around the country...
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In a recent televisual programme by Sir T. Robinson of Black Adder fame, he did a small snippet on Salisbury. Apparently, the German bomber crews used the cathedral spire as a navigation beacon and as a consequence, the city was never bombed. The upshot was that innumerable small workshops sprang up around the city who's primary job was to build Spitfires and Sir T estimated that around 2,000 aircraft were produced. Sadly, there's no trace of any of those wartime workshops today, although I expect with a little digging some evidence could be found - Rob
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