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MUNITIONS WORK — ROYAL ORDNANCE FACTORIES

1941-1945

David Riggall

By December 1940, adverts had started to appear in the papers for recent Graduates in Chemistry and Physics to register special qualifications that might be useful in the war effort.

On December 14th I was best man at my brother’s wedding in Grimsby. I travelled back to Sutton Coldfield, where I was teaching, the next day. (My brother’s new father-in-law was a Police Inspector and he was later killed while on duty, by an ‘anti-personnel bomb’) I returned home again for Christmas, and then in January 1941, I received notice about Munitions work, and replied to the Ministry of Supply. I was asked to attend for an interview within a week, so I went to London for this (at the ‘Adelphi’) and was appointed ‘Shift Chemist’, for which I received a confirmation letter from the Ministry of Supply on February 8th. Higgins took over the 6th Forms at the school (he was a retired research chemist who had never done any teaching before) The Head had acted quickly, and a few days later Higgins took over all the forms.

On February 14th 1941 I went home, and three days later received a letter from the Ministry of Supply, asking me to report to the Royal Ordnance Factory at Irvine the next day. I left my home at Great Coates at 5.51pm, changed trains at Habrough and Retford, then slept on Leeds Station until 3.50am and also in the train until it reached Carlisle. The Police asked all of us attempting to sleep in the waiting room at Leeds, the times of our trains and promised to wake us so we wouldn't miss them. I changed trains at Kilmarnock arriving at Irvine about 10.30am on the 18th February. On the 19th we were shown round the factory, and finally found 'digs' after trying all afternoon, carrying a heavy case around in the icy wind and getting turned away by one after another. I have never been so miserable. Finally Mr and Mrs F put me up but I had to share a bed for a day or two, with someone who was working alternate shifts and was soon going to be leaving. The first few days, my shift was 9am — 5pm and then 9am — 1pm on Saturday. On the Saturday my temporary ration card was received back, so I was able to have a 'slap up' dinner at the Kings Arms. I walked on the beach in the afternoon and went to the pictures in the evening. The Irvine ‘crowd’ seemed to me, to be very noisy. On the Sunday I had a free day and went walking.
It wasn't long before I received a parcel of old clothes from home, as it was not practical to wear good clothes in a chemical factory. I usually spent most of my free time walking, or going to the cinema. A chap called ‘White’ came for training as a chemist and I discovered he was in my year at Nottingham University.

On the night of March 9th 1941 there were two land-mines, and on March 13th the sirens went off at 9pm. I sat up with Mrs F and the kids until about 1am. It was an air-raid on Glasgow. Mrs F was so terrified of going upstairs that she asked me to fetch the little girl and boy down. We lived above a shop so it was a three storey house. On March 15th it was my first evening shift — 4pm until 11pm.
I found walking about the factory in he dark somewhat hazardous. There was the ‘blackout’, no light to be visible and special hoods or masks on car lights.

On April 14th I left Irvine and went to Drigg (Seascale) I managed to get one night’s lodgings, then spent most of the next morning looking for new digs. After my shift I met up with Jacobs and fixed up accomodation with him, which would start the following week. I didn’t like where I was living at all. The landlady cooked by candlelight in a dirty congested smelly kitchen, and we ate at a table which almost filled the little back room, and was surrounded by three or four cats that scampered about, and jumped up and watched us.
I moved to the house where Jacobs had a flat on April 21st, and decided to ring up Whitehaven about a bike priced at £7, which I then picked up a couple of days later. It was second hand and had been in a crash, but it was perfect for my needs. About that time, I was fitted up with (factory issue) boots and socks.

It wasn’t all work at Seascale — we had dances and staff outings, however on September 27th I faced my first emergency. There was a continuous process for manufacturing TNT from Mono-Nitrotoluene.
There were nitrating pots and separators and instructions were to ‘kick’ (rush) the contents rapidly into pits containing water outside the building if the temperatures were getting out of hand. This should happen only very rarely indeed if the men were doing their job. Shift chemists gave instructions, supervised and were sent in for emergencies, but we spent a lot of our time in the hut outside the plant and only patrolled at intervals. On this particular day, I had to act quickly to prevent the whole Plant blowing up.

On November 23rd, my brother-in-law was captured and became a prisoner of war in Italy.

In February 1942, we had a ‘Warship Week’ where the country was raising money for extra ‘comforts’ for the Navy.
In July I got put 2nd on the list for a portable typewriter which was on display in W.H. Smiths, a rare sight. By ringing up at intervals the Manager finally let me have it. I used it ever since.
In August of that year, I moved to Holmrook Hostel, I had become so fed up with the ‘Misses T’ (or maybe vice versa?) I didn’t stay at the hostel for long though, and early in September I moved in with Mrs S. at Zephyr Bank. One of the girls I knew was already there, and she probably paved the way for me.

During the war, I renewed my driving licence about every year, although I couldn't use a car, but it avoided having to take the test again.
Sometime during 1944 I was asked to transfer from being a ‘Shift Chemist’ at Sellafield Royal Ordnance Factory, to take charge of ‘breaking down’ obsolete ammunition at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Bootle in Cumberland. (A few miles south of Drigg) The factory foreman and I were first sent to London to receive instruction in how it was done. During the few days we were there, ‘Flying Bombs’ were landing on London and one fell near to the house we were staying in, leaving piles of rubble where a row of houses had been. The foreman wisely went back to Cumberland the moment our training was over, but I wasn't going to miss an opportunity, and was particularly keen to see ‘The Lisbon Story’ so went to the theatre that evening before catching the train.

In 1945 I was made ‘Safety Officer’ at Bootle, everyone being aware I would be going back to teaching after the war. Millington took over my job as ‘Production Manager’.
I went to a Safety Officer’s Conference at Bishopton and saw round the Nitroglycerine and Cordite Factory. In April 1945 we had a Rehabilitation Conference at Drigg, preparing us for after the war.

May 7th 1945 was VE-1 Day. We arranged a bonfire and dance for the next day. On May 8th 1945 (VE Day) I spent most of the day making the bonfire with Mason, Moore and some kids. After a rainy morning the afternoon and evening were dry. I persuaded a farmer to lend us the horse and cart and give us wood and we built the bonfire on some open ground on the seashore in front of the shops. I persuaded one of the shopkeepers to give us some fireworks he had saved for the end of the war. They were only very small ones but added to the fun. He said after, he would have given us some better ones if he had realised it was for such a public display.

On June 27th 1945 I went to a lecture by Professor Travers on ’60 years of Chemistry’ (Travers was a famous chemist who with Professor Ramsay had isolated several of the inert gases from the atmosphere)
The next day I attended a lecture by Travers on ‘Agitation’.
On July 14th I was best man at my youngest brother’s wedding near Grimsby.
On July 27th I attended a Safety Officer’s Conference at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Bridgewater, which was noted for the production of a ‘newish’ explosive (more or less secret) ‘RDX’.
There was a Parliamentary by-election at the time and I remember I happened to be sitting at dinner in the hotel, on the next table to the re-elected Liberal M.P.(they put us up in the best hotels and I seem to remember gave us 1st Class rail travel as well)

On August 14th 1945 I heard the news of the end of the war at 12 midnight on the ´óÏó´«Ã½. The 15th was VJ Day. We held a dance from 10pm until 2.30am and had a bonfire on the beach. The next day — VJ2 Day, we had another dance, this time from 10pm until 1am. I helped with the cleaning of the new Social Club (this was an old pavilion near the centre of the village. During the war we had used the basement of the Methodist Chapel, but now they wanted it back !)

Seems it didn't take long for people to welcome the return of something resembling 'normality' - however superficial it might have been in some respects. It had been a long war - and once the initial excitement and exhileration as it drew to a close had died down, I think we all knew there was much to be done before we could start to re-build our lives that had been so badly disrupted, and for a great number,had meant the loss of loved ones and shattered relationships that had been so full of promise.

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