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Vauxhall Motors Ltd
I thought that I ought to start a new thread about Vauxhall's Dunstable Plant.
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D.Ds.M.E. of Commands were to allot a serial number to each Command workshop in their Command which used the above reference letters. The appropriate number was to be stamped on repaired assemblies imediately following the reference letters, e.g. NOR/4/- which would indicate, say, Scorton workshops. The standard position for the code reference numbers on engines was agreed with the Ministry of Supply. In the case of other engines or assemblies where no special position was specified, the reference number was to be stamped adjacent to the makers’ serial number. E.g. AEC were to be stamped on the offside of the engine at the front end of the cylinder block. The following reference letters had been allotted to workshops and commands [by 1944]: COMMAND WORKSHOPS, ROYAL ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS: ALDERSHOT: ALD/- CATTERICK: CAT/- HIGH WYCOMBE,.BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: HWB/- MILL HILL [LONDON] MHL/- BOVINGTON: BOV/- CHILWELL: CHL/- BICESTER: BIC/- LINWOOD: LIN/- GREENFORD/- GRE/- DONNINGTON: DON/- R.C.E.M.E. WORKSHOP, BORDON: BOR/- G.M.C., CLECKHEATON: G.M.C./- ROLLS-ROYCE LIMITED: RRN/- VAUXHALL MOTORS LTD., DUNSTABLE^: VMD/- SELF-CHANGING GEARS LIMITED: SCG/- DAVID BROWN LTD., HUDDERSFIELD: DBH/- MINISTRY OF SUPPLY REPAIRERS,OTHER THAN THE ABOVE*: MS/- WORKSHOP DETACHMENT, R.E.M.E., D.H. WICKHAM AND CO., WARE: DWW/- WORKSHOP DETACHMENT, R.E.M.E., L.P.T.B.,ACTON]: LPTB/- COMMAND WORKSHOPS, R.E.M.E. OTHER THAN THE ABOVE: NORTHERN COMMAND NOR SOUTHERN COMMAND SOU EASTERN COMMAND ECO WESTERN COMMAND WES SCOTTISH COMMAND SCT LONDON DISTRICT LON NORTHERN IRELAND DISTRICT |
#2
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Vauxhall Motors Ltd 2
The other important wartime facility was the Hendon Plant, owned (freehold) by General Motors Ltd.
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It was closed around 1946 and handed back to GM Ltd. The rest of the building continued to be a Frigidaire Ltd plant though. They dod a lot of war work including blood cooling equipment and aircraft fuel tanks. |
#3
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David many thanks, Now I know why I joined MLU rarely a day goes by without learning something !! Thank you.
I remember the Delco factory, another place I used to cyle as a child was to Dunstable mostly to look at the fire engines and there were also some good vantage points to watch construction of the M1. There were lots of little units around both the town and in its rural district which I suppose we could term shadow factories. Hat factories making gun parts. All manner of diversity. I lived on the north of the town very close to the Sundon Park works of Skefco bearings. As an 7 year old it was no mean cyle ride to Vauxhalls and then up to the Airport. Reading between the lines the Dunstable shadow facility was in respect of trucks a repair/ refurb centre ?? in addition to churchill work. So can we say truck assembly was confined to Luton until the 1950s plant came along. I suppose the Dunstable facility remained dormant from 45 til the new plant opened ?? I recently read the history of Luton in WW2 It reminded me there were several raids on Vauxhall. But the worst atteck was the V2 on Biscot road that hit Commer's, My Dad had been called up to the REs early 44 so luckily was away. A couple of families in our street lost people in that attack. Sorry I digress. I wonder if my parents ever realised how far I used to wander to see the trucks and planes. On a totally seperate tack where can I obtain a 1944 or similar Census number list please // thanks again David regards TED |
#4
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Census Nos
I have Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and Fargo listings but for a complete >1944 DOMESTIC theatre listing contact Groucho:
http://www.milweb.net/go/groucho/ The Vauxhall Dunstable Plant was built near the AC-Delco Plant of course (then AC-Sphinx Spark Plug Co Ltd). During the war some associated company, Delco-Reny & Hyatt Ltd, production was moved from the DRH factory in Grosvenor Embankment next to the Victoria railway bridge over the Thames to part of the AC-Sphinx Plant. This was basically tank electrical wiring looms etc. moved by the Ministry (of Supply?) away from the vulnerable Thames-side location to somewhere inland, safe from bombing. DRH used to manufacture electric motors for hanger doors, and Hyatt bearings for the doors! AC-Sphinx produced sparking plugs for the war effort and contact-breakers, etc. After the war negotiations started in earnest in 1948 to allow General Motors Ltd to build a dedicated truck plant as Luton did not have the capacity to expand. They forced the exchange control comittee's hands and GM invested £25 million in dollars in the end to acquire more land next to that bought in 1938. |
#5
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Thanks David, I look forward top the day when yopu cann publish your Vauxhall Motors photos,
re the listing of census numbers awaiting word from groucho regards TED |
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Photos
I am hoping that it's going to be in an issue next year.
Saw a flat-front Bedford 'RAF' tanker at Goodwood Revival today. Nice one! |
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I wasn't a witness to the event but apparently the Lufwaffe targetted either the Vauxhall plant or the airport. Hitting neither, the bombs blew up a millinery and there were thousands of hats blowing in the wind the next day. Our family scooted up to Scotland to avoid any more air raids. In late 1944 we moved back to London since the bombing was all over, right? Wrong! I got blown out of a window into a coalbin suffering concussion, broken arm and an eye affliction which I still have. Ironic...escape to Scotland to avoid raids, then get V1d or V2d on return to "safe" London. Thanks for the thread, David.
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PRONTO SENDS |
#8
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Luton
Thanks for that Jon! I heard in the past from our now passed-on Vauxhall employee who rememebers the bombing of the plant. It is suggested that the Luftwaffe were heading for the Percival Aircraft factory at Luton Airport as it became. It is possible that they mistook the buildings.
From my notes: "The Luftwaffe bombed the Luton Plant on 30 August, 1940, and 39 workers were killed and over 40 seriously injured. Despite extensive damage, production was delayed just three days." |
#9
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Vauxhall Motors Ltd
The first air raid on Luton 30 Aug 1940 came without any alert and with no opposition.
Total toll was 59 dead 140 injured. With Vauxhall bearing the brunt. Interrogation of target maps post war didn't really clarify the actual target. Luton at that time was a pretty compact town, if you look at Google earth you will see only a boundary fence seperates the Airport from Vauxhall; that area was one big target. Luton Airport was the title even then, it was Luton corporation owned. The incident mentioned by Jon was on 15 Oct 1940 where bombs fell on the Old Bedford Rd Area, The publication Luton at War shows the thousands of hats carpeting the surrounding streets including Fredrick St. the toll was 13 dead 35 injured. The Airport/Vauxhall area was a repeat target, later raids overshot the target and the Park square area took the brunt, including the Bus garage and one of the the AFS stations. In 1944 the Commer-Karrier Biscot Rd factory was hit by a V2, |
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Noted
Thanks. I knew that that there was another attack (at least). AN ACCOUNT OF OUR STEWARDSHIP mentions 39 lost their lives including one girl, and 40 others were seriously injured. Production resumed September 5th. A few weeks later in the warly morning of Sunday 6th October, more bombs weerd ropped and only one persom was slightly injured.
I have some I think if not all of the details of the Dagenham attacks, The one that I know personally about through my Godfather was that on 'Packards', actually Leonard Williams (19XX( Ltd in The Great West Toad at Brentford, Middlesex. A V1 hit it and killed a heck of a lot of people including women. The company were working on Packard Merlins at the time. Next door was Lincoln Cars Ltd who were at the time refurbishing Ford and Mercury V-8s. My G/father was not suppsed to be there but used to use Packard's canteen. He was injured when some roofing asbestos caught him in the leg. The Lincoln Cars' foreman led a rescue attempt and found that there had been a burst gas pipe and people were trapped behind flames. For this work the foreman was awarded the MBE. |
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