ROF Thorpe Arch
Encyclopedia
ROF Thorpe Arch was one of sixteen World War II
, UK government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory
, which produced munitions. It was a medium-sized filling factory
(Filling Factory No. 9).
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
. It was linked to the London & North Eastern Railway line, which was used in its construction, for supplying raw materials and for transporting away filled munitions.
It was constructed for the Ministry of Supply, with the Ministry of Works acting as agents. Thorpe Arch opened in March 1940 and produced munitions for both the Army
and the Royal Air Force
. It was divided into a number of different Filling Groups which occupied different areas of the site. It is believed to have had 619 buildings.
In World War II it produced light gun ammunition, medium gun ammunition, heavy ammunition, land mine
s and trench mortar
ammunition for the Army; medium and large bomb
s for the RAF; and, 20 mm and other small arms
ammunition
for all three services. Some of these were produced in quantities measured in millions and hundreds of millions of items.
ROF Thorpe Arch closed twice; once after World War II and then finally after the Korean War
, in April 1958, as a result of the 1957 Defence White Paper
.
The ROF site has been described in detail in two articles by Mike Christensen, illustrated with official photographs taken whilst it was still open.
Part of the site is now in use as the Thorp Arch Trading Estate
; other parts are used to house the Northern Reading Room, Northern Listening Service and Document Supply Centre of the British Library
; and another part is a prison
, originally HMP Thorp Arch, now HMP Wealstun
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, UK government-owned Royal Ordnance Factory
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....
, which produced munitions. It was a medium-sized filling factory
Filling Factories
A Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
(Filling Factory No. 9).
It was located on the banks of the River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
, north east of the two villages of Boston Spa
Boston Spa
Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
and Thorp Arch
Thorp Arch (village)
Thorp Arch is a small village and civil parish near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The village comes under the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. The village is set on the River Wharfe, has a primary school and public house. The village is in the LS23 Wetherby postcode area and has a Wetherby...
; and four miles south east of the town of Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was linked to the London & North Eastern Railway line, which was used in its construction, for supplying raw materials and for transporting away filled munitions.
It was constructed for the Ministry of Supply, with the Ministry of Works acting as agents. Thorpe Arch opened in March 1940 and produced munitions for both the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and 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...
. It was divided into a number of different Filling Groups which occupied different areas of the site. It is believed to have had 619 buildings.
In World War II it produced light gun ammunition, medium gun ammunition, heavy ammunition, land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s and trench mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
ammunition for the Army; medium and large bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s for the RAF; and, 20 mm and other small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
for all three services. Some of these were produced in quantities measured in millions and hundreds of millions of items.
ROF Thorpe Arch closed twice; once after World War II and then finally after the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, in April 1958, as a result of the 1957 Defence White Paper
1957 Defence White Paper
The 1957 White Paper on Defence was a British white paper setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry...
.
The ROF site has been described in detail in two articles by Mike Christensen, illustrated with official photographs taken whilst it was still open.
Part of the site is now in use as the Thorp Arch Trading Estate
Thorp Arch Trading Estate
Thorp Arch Trading Estate occupies major part of a former Royal Ordnance Factory , ROF Thorpe Arch, in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England close to Wetherby. The trading estate is now divided into industrial and retail space. There is still much evidence of its former use around the site...
; other parts are used to house the Northern Reading Room, Northern Listening Service and Document Supply Centre of the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
; and another part is a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, originally HMP Thorp Arch, now HMP Wealstun
Wealstun (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wealstun is a Category C men's prison, located near the village of Thorp Arch in West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
.
See also
- List of prisons in the United Kingdom
- List of Royal Ordnance Factories
- Filling FactoriesFilling FactoriesA Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...