Industrial History Online

Industrial History Online

Steeton Dump or ROF22

Description and History of Site:-
Royal Ordnance Factory 22, known locally as 'The Dump', as in ammo dump. ROF Steeton was an outpost of Woolwich Arsenal and opened in 1941 and was devoted to the production of empty brass cartridge cases for 20mm Oerliken and Hispano Suiza canons for the military, primarily the RAF. The empty cases were then taken to other ROF's like Thorp Arch (ROF 8) for filling with propellant and explosive, being conveniently alongside a mainline railway and sidings for this purpose.
The site was vital to the war effort with production around the clock for nearly four years.
The site contained a metallurgical laboratory to control the quality of the supplied materials and also the eventual end product produced. Every sample was checked for inclusions which may have lead to failure of the cartridge in service.
The material supplied to the site was brass - 70/30 copper/zinc alloy in the form of strips from which blanks were stamped out.
The manufacturing process for 20mm cartridge cases was;
The brass blanks stamped from the strips were first annealed in a furnace followed by pickling in concentrated Sulphuric Acid then washing and drying.
Then pressed into shallow cups and annealed, cleaned and washed again.
The shallow cups were then drawn four times with the annealing, pickled and washing in between each stage.
During these operations the thickness of the base of the component remained unchanged whilst the depth progressively increased.
The fifth draw and ironing of the component wall carried out in horizontal presses with the component wall achieving it's specified thickness.
The finishing then produced the indent in preparation for forming the detonator cap cavity.
The extractor ring was formed and the cartridge trimmed to length and given a flame anneal.
The cartridge then given a final press to achieve a taper.
Metallurgical testing took place on the finished cartridges to ensure reliability in service.
The site included a tool room and heat treatment department to produce the press and forming tools, all under the control of a former Farrier/Blacksmith.
Of the several thousand operatives and staff only a few were experienced in the manufacture of ammunition but in spite of this the production was high and operating around the clock by 1942. Most of the operators were from local towns but also a high number of young women from the Republic of Ireland.
Accommodation became available for workers in early 1942 at the workers hostel known as Howden Hall on Howden Road in nearby Silsden. Designed primarily for women workers it comprised of six dormitory blocks, each under the control of a Housemother. One wing only was allocated to men, the workers being mostly women at the works. The hostel included a canteen and a dance hall with stage where dances and amateur productions took place. A medical centre was located nearby on Daisy Hill.
In the production shops 'Music While You Work' was broadcast twice daily and entertainment in the works canteen on Fridays. Working was seven days per week for about two years but weekends off eventually.
Site security was provided by the Home Guard, approximately 60 to 100 men in the unit, under the command of a retired army Major. The site was protected by a system of blockhouses around the perimeter. At the centre of the site was an armoury with secure store for rifles and grenades, under the control of a Company Sergeant Major from the West Riding Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) Halifax headquarters.
As 1945 arrived demand for ammunition decreased and production halted in May 1945 with the site closing.
Today the site is a trading estate with only two of the original buildings extant, also a rare two storey Grade II pillbox is still extant on the perimeter along with two fire posts.


Further Reading and References:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/97/a8900697.shtml


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Key Words :- amunition military manufacture

Address :- Steeton, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6RA
Grid Ref :- SE 03290 44875
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.900033 , Long -1.951416
Local Authority :- City of Bradford
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site existence unknown
Historic England List No - 1393602,
Site Condition :- Site in alternative industrial use
Site Dates :- 1941 -
Contributor :- Andrew Garford - 20 August 2019

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Andrew Garford