List of Royal Ordnance Factories
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Royal Ordnance Factories
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Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence....
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- Royal ArsenalRoyal ArsenalThe Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
Factory No 1. - Royal Small Arms FactoryRoyal Small Arms FactoryThe Royal Small Arms Factory was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816...
Factory No 2. - Royal Powder MillWaltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder MillsThe Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, , set in of parkland and containing 21 buildings of major historical importance, mixes history, science, and attractive surroundings...
Factory No 31. - ROF AycliffeROF AycliffeROF Aycliffe, was built on an site off Heighington Lane, Aycliffe, County Durham, England during the early 1940s. The marshy location was ideal as the site was shrouded in fog and mist for much of the year providing cover against bombing by the Luftwaffe..It opened as ROF 59 in the Spring of...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 8 - ROF Birtley.
- ROF BishoptonROF BishoptonThe Royal Ordnance Factory Bishopton was a UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Explosive ROF. It is sited adjacent to the town of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in Scotland....
; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
(3 factories). - ROF BlackburnROF BlackburnRoyal Ordnance Factory, ROF, Blackburn was part of the Ministry of Defence organisations producing components for the manufacture of armaments and arms related equipment from the late 1930 until after WWII...
. - ROF Blackpool; SAA Factory.
- ROF Brackla; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 11. - ROF BridgendROF BridgendROF Bridgend, , located in Bridgend, South Wales, was one of the largest of sixteen World War II, UK government-owned, Royal Ordnance Factory munitions Filling Factories...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 2. - ROF BridgwaterROF BridgwaterRoyal Ordnance Factory Bridgwater was a factory which produced high explosives for munitions. It was located between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK; but was always known as ROF Bridgwater, after the nearest town...
; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
. No. 37 (opened 1941 closed 2008) - ROF Burghfield; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 18 (later part of the Atomic Weapons EstablishmentAtomic Weapons EstablishmentThe Atomic Weapons Establishment is responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent. AWE plc is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AWE...
(AWE)) . - ROF Cardiff; Engineering ROF (later part of the Atomic Weapons EstablishmentAtomic Weapons EstablishmentThe Atomic Weapons Establishment is responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent. AWE plc is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AWE...
(AWE)). - ROF ChorleyROF ChorleyROF Chorley was a UK government-owned, munitions filling, Royal Ordnance Factory . It was planned as a Permanent Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that it, unlike some other similar facilities, would remain open for production after the end of World War II; and, together with ROF Bridgend...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 1. - ROF DalmuirROF DalmuirROF Dalmuir was an Engineering Royal Ordnance Factory owned by the British government during World War II. The factory manufactured medium-calibre guns, particularly anti-aircraft guns...
; Engineering ROF. - ROF Drigg; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
. - ROF Dunham on the Hill; Explosives storage depot
- ROF ElstowROF ElstowRoyal Ordnance Factory Elstow was one of sixteen UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Filling Factories. It was a medium-sized filling factory, , which filled and packed munitions. It was located south of the town of Bedford, between the villages of Elstow and Wilstead in Bedfordshire...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 16. - ROF FazakerleyROF FazakerleyROF Fazakerley was a Royal Ordnance Factory rifle manufacturing plant in Fazakerley, Liverpool; which manufactured weapons such as the Sten and Sterling submachine guns and Lee-Enfield rifle during and after World War II....
; Rifles Factory. - ROF Featherstone; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 17. - ROF GlascoedROF GlascoedROF Glascoed was a UK government-owned, Royal Ordnance Factory. It was designed as one of 20 munitions filling factories. It was planned as a Permanent Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that, unlike some other similar facilities, it would remain open for production after the end of World...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 3. - ROF Hereford.
- ROF Hirwaun.
- ROF Irvine; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
- ROF KirkbyROF KirkbyROF Kirkby, was a large World War II Royal Ordnance Factory filling munitions. It was based in the rural area of Kirkby, Merseyside in order to reduce the potential damage from explosions; and produced munitions from September 1940 to March 1946.-History:Original planning for the site began at...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 7. - ROF Leeds; Engineering ROF.
- ROF MaltbyROF MaltbyROF Maltby was a Royal Ordnance Factory rifle manufacturing plant in Maltby, South Yorkshire which manufactured weapons such as the Lee-Enfield rifle and Sten submachine gun during World War II....
; Rifles Factory. - ROF NewportROF NewportROF Newport was World War II Royal Ordnance Factory that produced guns. Building started on a former allotment site off Corporation Road, Newport in April 1940....
; Engineering ROF. - ROF NottinghamROF NottinghamRoyal Ordnance Factory Nottingham, first opened in 1916 and first opened as an ROF January 1936 was one of a number of Royal Ordnance Factories created at the start of World War II.-Background:R.O.F...
; Engineering ROF. - ROF PatricroftROF PatricroftThe Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Patricroft, was an engineering factory was classified as a Medium Machine Shop. It was located in Patricroft, near the town of Eccles, in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, adjacent to both the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Bridgewater...
; M/C Shop Engineering ROF. - ROF PembreyROF PembreyA World War I explosive factory, which was to be later known as NEF Pembrey was built, by Nobel's Explosives, with British Government approval, near the village of Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The factory was built on a site consisting of mainly sandhills and sand dunes to provide some...
; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
. - ROF Poole; Engineering ROF.
- ROF Queniborough; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 10. - ROF Radway GreenROF Radway GreenThe former Royal Ordnance Factory , Radway Green, now part of BAE Systems Global Combat Systems, manufactures small arms ammunition for the British armed forces...
; SAA Factory No. 13. - ROF RanskillROF RanskillThe Royal Ordnance Factory Ranskill was a UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Explosive ROF. It was located adjacent to what is now known as the East Coast Main Line railway at Ranskill, Nottinghamshire, just north of the town of Retford....
; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
. - ROF RisleyROF RisleyROF Risley, was a large World War II Royal Ordnance Factory filling munitions, including the Grand Slam bomb, in the UK.-World War Two:...
; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 6. - ROF Sellafield (later the nuclear establishment SellafieldSellafieldSellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield is an off-shoot from the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale which is currently undergoing...
). - ROF Southall; SAA Filling Factory.
- ROF Summerfield; SAA Filling Factory.
- ROF Spennymoor; SAA Factory.
- ROF Steeton; SAA Factory.
- ROF Swynnerton; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 5. - ROF Theale; Engineering ROF.
- ROF Thorp Arch; Filling FactoryFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
No. 9. - ROF Wrexham; Explosive ROFExplosive ROFAn Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory , which specialised in manufacturing explosives during and after World War II...
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Further reading
- Cocroft, Wayne D., (2000). Dangerous Energy: The archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture, Swindon: English Heritage, ISBN 1-85074-718-0.
- Kohan, C. M., (1952). Works and Buildings: (History of the Second World War. United Kingdom Civil Series). London: HMSO & Longmans, Green and Co.