National Aircraft Factory No. 2 (NAF No.2) was a World War I UK government owned aircraft factory located at Heaton Chapel

Heaton Chapel

Heaton Chapel is an area in the northern part of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It borders the Manchester districts of Levenshulme to the north, the Stockport districts of Heaton Moor to the west, Reddish and Heaton Norris to the east and Heaton Mersey to the west and south...

, Stockport

Stockport

Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...

. It produced over 450 warplanes during 1918/19.

Management

In 1917, the UK government decided to increase the country's aircraft production capacity by establishing 'National Aircraft Factories'. These were to be managed by large established industrial firms from outside the aircraft industry. NAF No.2 was created at Crossley Road, Heaton Chapel, next to the London & North Western Railway company's line between Manchester (London Road) station

Manchester Piccadilly station

Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...

 and Stockport (Edgeley) station

Stockport railway station

Stockport railway station is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly station on the West Coast Main Line from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. It was opened on 15 February 1843 by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, following completion of the large...

. Crossley Motors

Crossley Motors

Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...

 had partially completed a factory on the 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) site and this was incorporated in a revised larger facility to be managed by the firm. The factory was completed in mid 1918.

Aircraft production

An initial production contract was received by NAF No.2 for 500 de Havilland DH.9 single-engined two-seat biplane day bombers for the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

. The first DH.9 to be shipped from the Heaton Chapel factory was serial D1001 in March 1918. Approximately 450 had been built when production ceased in spring 1919. Early production aircraft were despatched from NAF No.2 by rail, using the factory's adjacent LNWR sidings, to an Aircraft Acceptance Park at Coal Aston

Coal Aston

- Geography :Coal Aston sits on a ridge overlooking Sheffield and Dronfield. To the south there is Frith Wood, which is made up of mixed woodland rich in many species of fauna and flora and is thought to be an ancient wood...

 near Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 for final erection and testing. From May 1918 the DH.9s were transported in sections by rail or road to an Aircraft Acceptance Park at the newly opened Alexandra Park Aerodrome

Alexandra Park Aerodrome

Alexandra Park Aerodrome was the second purpose-built aerodrome in the Manchester area. The site was chosen by the War Department in 1917 because of its open agricultural nature, and lay between the neighbouring districts of Fallowfield, Chorlton, Withington and West Didsbury, at the junction of...

 in Manchester where the aircraft were assembled and flight tested before delivery to the RAF. The last 50 aircraft plus further NAF No.2 contracts for additional DH.9s were cancelled after the Armistice

Armistice

An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...

.

A further contract was received for the production of 200 de Havilland DH.10 Amiens twin-engined biplane day bombers. The first seven DH.10s (serials F351/357) were completed at NAF No.2, and test flown, from February 1919 onwards before the remaining machines on order were cancelled.

Closure of NAF No.2 and subsequent use of factory buildings

After the cancellation of remaining orders for military aircraft, the buildings were used by Crossley Motors for the manufacture of goods vehicles. The Fairey Aviation Company of Hayes, Middlesex, received large contracts for military aircraft and sought a dispersed factory site. They therefore took over the Heaton Chapel facilities in early 1935 and constructed further production buildings. Nearly 4,400 new aircraft were built at the factory between 1936 and 1958 and assembled at test flown at the nearby Ringway Airport.