Also, Keighleys motto is By Worth, which fits rather neatly with our name. The plant was designed to be defended and there was a system of Block Houses at strategic points around the perimeter At the centre of the site there was an armoury and a secure store for rifles and grenades. The two-storey pillbox and two fire posts at Steeton, Keighley, are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: This was designed, primarily for women workers, and was situated in Silsden, about two miles north of the plant. The two-storey pillbox and two fire posts at Steeton, Keighley, are recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons: The photograph was supplied by Mr Michael Shearing, of High Spring Garden Lane, Keighley, whose aunt is standing fourth from the right. Please report any comments that break our rules. Inspection department workers at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Steeton KEIGHLEY photographer George A Shore had obviously told everybody to smile, but these We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. Fortunately my hands were not wet! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. W F Cutler bought Vol. They were placed at strategic locations, many along 'stop lines' intended to slow down the progress of an attacking force. Grade II listed pillboxes in the middle of a housing estate in Steeton! Brown, Burridge, Clarke, Guy, Hellis, Lowry, Ruckley & Thomas: 20th Century Defences in Britain (1996), 66-85 For any other issue or if you need help, please email: Our website works best with the latest version of the browsers below, unfortunately your browser is not supported. 6. When we started researching in 2001, we found only names of men on local memorials and as we felt their sacrifice had worth and most of them lived around the river Worth we felt the name was apt. The Royal Ordnance Factory at Steeton Dump was built from scratch in late 1940 and began production in early 1941. Picture shows the King watching some of the women workers in the factory sorting ammunition. After attending a course on poison gas identification at Leeds University, my colleague and I were appointed Gas Identification Officers for the plant. The roof is c.9" thick. standard. Office staff at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Steeton, in Christmas 1941. This photo may not represent the current condition of the site, Find out more about Heritage Apprenticeships. The drawing operations consisted of first draw, second draw, third draw and fourth draw each stage with i EXTERIOR: The pillbox is a two-storey variant of a Type 24 design, a hexagonal design with the rear wall expanded to accommodate two rifle loopholes rather than one. (Off) Russet mites are a type of pest that can cause damage to leaves, stems, and petioles. The success of the plant was vital to the war effort and operated round the clock for almost four years. Initial training started with foot drill, marching and handling rifles and bayonets. (Off) This vital test was carried out as a routine measure. Others were built to defend important installations such as airfields or munitions factories. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Over a four year period until late April early March 1945, Over four thousand staff worked in this period for the war effort. Production at Steeton was mainly concentrated on brass cartridge cases for 20 mm Oerlikon and Hispano Suiza ammunition for the armed forces and particularly the RAF. #ww2 #pillbox #steeton #royalordnancefactory #incongruous #yorkshire #steetonpillbox #pillbox, A post shared by John | Exploration and history (@merrytrek) on Jun 23, 2019 at 2:48pm PDT, Royal Ordnance Factory Pillboxes at Steeton. The Home Guard Company at ROF Steeton formed an essential part of the security system and was under the command of a retired army major who was also head of the works security. It comprised six dormitory blocks, each under the care of a housemother. By August, 1945, it was to have made 204 million munition components, including Recollections of Alec V. Lovell working at the Royal Ordnance Factory Steeton Nr. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Listed buildings in Steeton with Eastburn, Milestone in front of 52 Skipton Road, Eastburn, Milestone in front of 10 Keighley Road, Steeton, "Nos. The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. There is a limited amount of modern graffiti.HISTORY: The earliest examples of pillboxes date from the First World War, but the concept was developed in the early stages of the Second World War, when many thousands were built, though only a limited proportion survive. Our earliest records are of soldiers who fought before the Battle of Waterloo! Terracotta tiles on the roof of Saintoft Lodge, Newton-on-Rawcliffe, Ryedale, North Yorkshire. The supply had been wrongly connected. It fell to my lot, at the age of 21 to address this problem with its complex industrial overtones. All site content is copyright to The Men of Worth Project Community Interest Company from 2007 to the present day, unless otherwise indicated. Date: 1939. Keighley June 1941 July 1945, Date of Birth: 21st. Pillboxes were designed to house artillery or more rarely machine guns, and twelve basic designs were approved by the War Office, though in practice these were often varied according to local considerations. will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry. 9).[1][2]. Work on the new Royal Ordnance factory at Wrexham began soon after the outbreak of war in 1939. Go Historic ID 685184. During the few weeks we were at Radway Green we were introduced to the type of work we would later be doing at Steeton. * Group Value: the pillbox and two fire posts form a group of defensive structures guarding a Royal Ordnance Factory, identified in the national selection criteria as a valid claim to special interest. A group of volunteers from The Friends of Balaam's Wood Local Nature Reserve clearing brambles at Gannow Green Moated Site, New Frankley in Birmingham, Two horsemen reading The Sportsman, 30 Oct 1902, Farnborough, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. Join me on my merry trek of old ruins, cinemas, railways and things that just catch my attention around Yorkshire and the UK. The Howden Hall facilities included a hall with a stage where dances and amateur productions were held. It is, The church is in stone with a stone slate roof, and is in, A large house in stone that has a stone slate roof with, The Sunday school is in stone, and has a stone slate roof with, A house, later a nursing home, in stone, with, There are two gateways flanked by walls. INTERIOR: Access is via the rear door on the ground floor, and there is a transverse anti-ricochet wall across the interior. Beneath the embrasure on one side is the entrance, and extending from the wall alongside is a low brick wall with a right angle return facing the entrance. Source Historic England Archive BB98/02592. Read about our current news, projects and campaigns nationally and in your area. An account of my service with the Steeton Home Guard Unit appears in the appendix. There was a problem with unaccounted-for items and Alf had a message for anyone who might consider helping themselves in his absence. The blanks were then pressed into a shallow cup, annealed, cleaned and washed ready for the second stage of five drawing operations. those of the BBC. The entrance front is symmetrical with five, A house, later divided, it is in stone with. Also being housed were some male engineering apprentices from Keighley. In spite of this and the loss of a cargo of automatic multi-spindle lathes from the USA, by the end of 1942 the plant was operating round the clock and production was high. I start my new job on monday so will be in touch sometime during the week to arrange a visit. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. WebAt the factory we made .303 and .5 cases and caps, as well as bullets. WebSteeton with Eastburn, Bradford, BD20 II Barn 15 Metres North East of Eastburn House Steeton with Eastburn, Bradford, BD20 II Eastburn House Steeton with Eastburn, Bradford, BD20 II WW2 Pillbox and 2 Fire Posts South of Former Royal Ordnance Factory Steeton with Eastburn, Bradford, BD20 II Milestone to Front of Number 52 This required me to leave home at 7.30 a.m. and to return home by about 9.00 p.m. after finishing work at 7.30 p.m. WebRoyal Ordnance Factory Leeds, first opened in December 1915 and first opened as an ROF in January 1936, it was one of a number of Royal Ordnance Factories created at the start of the Second World War. Manufacturing Process for 20 mm Cartridge Cases. British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website. The results appeared on the Receipt and Measurement Certificates against which payment was made. The embrasures are pre-cast, consisting of four parts; sill, two jambs and lintel, and have a wider internal splay than the external. See our extensive range of expert advice to help you care for and protect historic places. This arrived in two forms blanks, and strips from which the blanks were stamped. Construction work on Thorp Arch began on 18 May 1940 and the completion date was scheduled for the end of July 1941. 16-DEC-09 STEETON Having both gone before a Joint Recruiting Board we were assigned to R.O..F. No. WebThe Royal Ordnance Factory was constructed for the Ministry of Supply, with the Ministry of Works acting as agents. All government data published here This is a list of Royal Ordnance Factories . Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. See how you can help. in Alfs store. The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system. WebBuilt to defend a former Royal Ordnance Factory in the Second World War. June 1920 WW2 Pillbox and 2 Fire Posts south of The other listed buildings include a church, a Sunday school, a road bridge, a former textile mill, three milestones, a commemorative tower, and a pillbox and two fire posts surviving from the Second World War. One of only four known four type 24 two story pillboxes apparently! The factory was protected by a defensive group of pillboxes and plans may have been made to extend these but the war came to an end before this could happen. The first floor internal walls are daubed with paint and there is some graffiti, none of original date. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. We had experience in the use of wire-reinforced 303 calibre rifles as cup projectors for grenades. 23 Lyon Road, Steeton with Eastburn (1223332)", "Ivy House, Steeton with Eastburn (1357413)", "Silsden Bridge, Steeton with Eastburn (1266645)", "Woodlands Mill, Steeton with Eastburn (1331675)", "Gate-piers and gates to Hawcliffe Rock, Steeton with Eastburn (1223331)", "Nos. Routine Testing of Samples from all Stages of Production. WebLatitude: 53.8979 / 5353'52"N Longitude: -1.9555 / 157'19"W OS Eastings: 403024 OS Northings: 444633 OS Grid: SE030446 Mapcode National: GBR GRSC.FG Mapcode Global: I still have the case I made for my 10 in. External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Its products, so important at one time, were no longer needed. is used under licence. Steeton was close to Skipton and virtually in the Yorkshire Dales. The bricks used were Phorpres bricks in English garden wall bond, 23" thick on the pillbox. The ground rises to the south towards the eastern end of the field. Small Arms Ammunition - This type of factory was, in essence, an Engineering factory which specialised in the production of small arms shell casings. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. John. A Gannett Company. A Gannett Company. The pillbox and fire posts are of brick construction with reinforced concrete roofs and precast concrete embrasures, and the pillbox also has a shuttered concrete first floor. Another was Charles Hurford who produced exploded illustrations of engines for training purposes. There were several of these machines in use throughout the works and it was part of my responsibility to maintain the machines and check the accuracy of their readings. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest. 16-DEC-09 STEETON The ground rises to the south towards the eastern end of the field.The pillbox and fire posts are of brick construction with reinforced concrete roofs and precast concrete embrasures, and the pillbox also has a shuttered concrete first floor. Of great help was a former foreman in a textile mill named Harry Thornber. ROF Steeton was an outstation of Woolwich Arsenal and, together with Radway Green in Cheshire, was devoted to the production of 20 mm and .5 in., calibre brass cartridge cases and projectiles. This was accomplished by spending a day back at Bradford Technical College with an engineer who had some specialised knowledge. The susceptibility of a particular batch to this kind of failure can be assessed by the mercurous nitrate test. But The Lord help them that I find helping themselves It was located on the banks of the River Wharfe, north-east of the two villages of Boston Spa and Thorp Arch; and four miles south-east of the town of Wetherby, West Yorkshire in England. There is a wide, internally splayed embrasure on each wall, pre-cast in two pieces, an upper and a lower half. They are a great Each wall of the first floor is pierced by a wide double splay embrasure, apart from the rear wall which has two embrasures. It produced munitions for both the Army and the Royal Air Force. The convener was happy that the problems were solved by non-Union men but could not acknowledge that one of their own members had failed! The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not Each cottage has two, The milestone is on the southwest side of Keighley Road (B6265 road). The factory has In 1945, on the war front the demand for ammunition lessened and this was reflected in a reduction in the activities of ROF Steeton and, eventually, in May 1945 production came abruptly to an end. A contractor cutting bricks for the wall of the partially-restored wild and natural walled garden at Warley Place, Brentwood. WebCatalog of military and civilian small arms belonging to Royal Ordnance. Samples of rolled leaded steel bars were prepared and mechanically tested for ultimate and yield stresses. Archaeologist Dr David Neal discussing his illustration of the mosaic being excavated at Rutland Roman Villa with members of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services team, Bombed library in Holland House, Kensington. There was a handicraft room with facilities for doing leatherwork under the direction of a lady named Miss Crawley. Has there been any developement with these pillboxes/ There has not been anything written on the keighley forum for some time. * Group Value: the pillbox and two fire posts form a group of defensive structures guarding a Royal Ordnance Factory. Please contact us through our Submit page form to add a person to the archive. I had immediately applied for a job with a local company and had been referred to the Research Department of the Metal Box Company in London where I took up an appointment in July. The respective section heads supervising the chemical and metallurgical work, we discovered, were classified as Experimental Assistant Grade 2. Some of these were produced in quantities measured in millions and hundreds of millions of items. One aspect that really annoyed me was that I was not allowed to keep records of the improvement in the scrapping rate of the numbers of tools during heat treatment and so to illustrate the progress being made. Pillboxes were designed to house artillery or more rarely machine guns, and twelve basic designs were approved by the War Office, though in practice these were often varied according to local considerations. They were placed at strategic locations, many along 'stop lines' intended to slow down the progress of an attacking force. This was Christmas of 1941, and the simple decorations and absence of festive cheer suggests the bleakness of the period. Honours Degree in Chemistry with Physics as a subsidiary subject and applied and pure mathematics to the intermediate B.Sc. The extractor ring was formed and the shell trimmed to length. The south towards the eastern end of the field there was a room. Written on the pillbox and two fire posts form a Group of defensive structures guarding Royal... The Royal Ordnance Factory in the appendix began soon after the outbreak of war in 1939 to promote these enable. 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Steel bars were prepared and mechanically tested for ultimate and yield stresses of this record have been generated from legacy. Of 1941, and the shell trimmed to length language links are the. The keighley forum for some time protect historic places it fell to my lot, at the top the... F. No protect historic places nitrate test and yield stresses, each the.