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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Denbighshire => Topic started by: Morganllan on Thursday 03 February 11 00:24 GMT (UK)
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Hello
I've heard that there was a Munitions factory at Marchwiel during WW2. Does anyone have any information about it, or know whether it's possible to find out about people who worked there please?
Was it the same site where there was later a Johnson and Johnson factory, or was that a different place? I've seen the pieces on the BBC and Coflein sites but wondered whether anyone has any local information.
Thank you in advance for any info :)
Morgan
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Hi Morgan :)
My Dad worked there for a couple of years or so.
I don't know much more than that as I wasn't around at the time ;D
JL
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrexham_Industrial_Estate
There are many old buildings on the estate, British Celanese and the now closed Granby Garments factory were some of them.
You can recognise them as they all look the same,long narrow and single storey.
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.050376&lon=-2.917186&z=18.6&r=341&src=msl
This is the Granby Garments / Courtalds factory which closed about 10 years ago.
Cheap overseas labour put the nail on the coffin >:(
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Hi Morganllan, ok I'll tell you what I know, the munitions factory was spread all over where the Wrexham indiustrial estate is now and as a kid we used to go down there playing, if my memory serves me right behind the Saab garage which is across the road from the old BICC factory ( where I served my time as an apprentice, a story to follow ), there was a series of underground tunnels which interlinked the various buildings which are all constructed to a blast proof specification, as kids we had no idea what they where but when I was doing my apprenticeship one of the jobs I had to do with the bloke I was serving my time with was to convert one of these buildings which BICC owned into a test laboratory for testing new pvc materials. The building was flooded as the MOD had filled in the gaps between the banks which surrounded them ( the banks where to stop any blast if it should occur ) and over the years the rain water flooded it, anyway when they drained it it was full of Perch and Tench so they threw them into their own fishing pond to stock them. One memory I have whilst working on this building was we had to fit a load of electrical gear to the walls but because they were so tough the masonary drills just broke and blunted themselves so the foreman decided to use a Hilti nail gun ( the Hilti nail gun if your not familiar with is a nail gun which uses small explosive cartridges to fire the nails in to the walls ) I think you know what's coming, when we fired it the nail ricoched off the wall and it was just like a bullet firing around the room, we eventually got them to stay in by firing them into the mortar but it was hard going, happy days eh.
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The Times, Nov 22nd, 1945
WELSH FACTORY TO BE TRADING ESTATE
The Board of Trade has announced that the royal ordnance factory at Marchwiel is to be established as a Trading Estate. The factory, which consists of about 1,000 buildings, ceased working last August, causing some 3,000 unemployed in the immediate area
regards
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The Times, Oct 20th, 1956
LAND AQUIRED FOR ORDNANCE FACTORY
The Ministry of Agriculture has offered former owners of land at Marchwiel, Denbighshire, about 1,600 acres out of an area of 2,400 acres which was purchased compulsorily at the beginning of the Second World War for the construction of an ordnance factory. This is in accordance with the Government policy of offering back to former owners land compulsorily aquired and no longer needed
regards
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Hi :)
A very interesting personal account and Times links (I keep forgetting that I have access!). Thank you both for those.
I wonder if either of you know the make up of the work force and how they got their jobs? My recollections of what my father said are slowly coming back. I wish I'd listened harder and asked more :-\
At the beginning of WW2, my Dad was working in one of the local coal mines (protected employment) and was slightly too old to enlist anyway. At some stage, he had an accident/became unable to work at the coal face and was given a job at Marchwiel with others from our village. I assume that they were bussed there. He must have worked there for at least a couple of years and then he became a guard in a local POW 'camp'. By the time I was born at the end of the war, he was back working in the mines.
Like Morgan, I'd love to know how the workforce were recruited and about their work.
JL
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Just remembered the Denbighshire archives and found that there is a report there, if anyone is near Ruthin.
Place: MARCHWIEL
Description: Extract relating to the 2nd World War ordnance factories, including Marchwiel.
Date: 1940 1945
Reference No: DRO NTD/1350
JL
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Thank you wilcoxon, hanes teulu, never give up, and JL :)
The story of the the Hilti nail gun was very amusing - could just picture you dodging the bullets :o ;D
I saw an episode of Coast where they visited an old munitions site with (I think) sand dunes around to absorb any blast.
Really interested in the people side of the story and whether any personnel records have survived. I read that they were bussed in from a wide area. There's a picture of some Lab staff on this site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/askalocal/pages/photo15.shtml
and lots of pics of the site if you go*ogle.
Thanks again
Morgan
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http://museum.wrexham.gov.uk/Dserve/index.htm
You can search the cataloge of Wrexham museum, there are a few items that might be of use.
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Brickworks cottages Bangor Road Marchwiel.
I wondered if any of you knew whether brickwork cottages are still there or have they been demolished?
My great great great grandparents lived there.
Thanks in anticipation of your help.
:)
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Hello
There are Brickyard Cottages there - postcode LL13 0SF
Kind Regards
Morgan
Modified - to correct postcode!
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Many thanks for your quick reply.
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Hello
There are Brickyard Cottages there - postcode SA13 0SF
Kind Regards
Morgan
Are you sure that is the correct post code? That post code is Neath Port Talbot.
This thread is about Denbighshire or Wrexham, isnt it?
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Thanks Scouseboy! Looking at more than one map at the same time ::)
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My mother worked at Marchwiel for a short while in 1942/3 before she married. She lived in Gobowen until she married Dad and moved to Oswestry.
I understand that the newspapers would advertise for workers and I believe she and two friends applied and worked there together.
She would take the train from Gobowen to Wrexham, working 12 hour shifts working with the gun cotton and using the capstan machines.
She told the story that when she was returning from a night shift my Dad would collect her from the station to ride on the crossbar of his bike and take her home.
Obviously it was during the blackout so there were no street lights or house lights showing.
She said there was a good camaraderie between all the girls who worked there. Most of them smoked cigarettes, outside the factory of course to take away the smell of the cordite. Their hair had to be tied up and covered, as all of them had long hair (which might get caught in the machinery), using no hair grips - anything that might cause a spark, fire or explosion. They weren't allowed to wear any rings or ear rings either.
I wish I had asked her more when she was alive as most people do.