- Explosive ROF
An Explosive ROF was a UK Government-owned
Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF), which specialised in manufacturingexplosives during and afterWorld War II . Note: InWorld War I , the name used in the UK for Government-owned explosives factories was National Explosives Factory; and theCordite factory at Gretna was known asHM Factory, Gretna .These Second World War factories were built for the
Ministry of Supply with theMinistry of Works , in all cases exceptROF Irvine , acting as . Explosive ROF's specialised in producing eitherhigh-explosive s, such as TNT (trinitrotoluene ) orRDX ; orpropellant s, such ascordite , but there were minor exceptions to this demarcation. The products from these Explosive ROFs were shipped toFilling Factories for filling intomunition s.Pyrotechnic s, such as fuzes and screening smokes, tended to be made at theFilling Factories and filled directly intomunitions .Comparable WW II factories not part of the ROF organisation
ICI and Ministry of Supply Agency Factories
A number of UK World War II explosives factories were built and owned by ICI. These privately owned explosives factories were not considered part of the ROF Organisation and they were not called ROFs. ICI also managed numerous munitions factories constructed with Ministry of Supply funding; these were known as "Agency Factories". ICI Nobel's Ardeer site and its WW II agency factories produced, for example, 35% of the combined ROF and Agency Factories output of Cordite and 15% of the combined output of TNT.Reader, Volume II, Chapter 15: "War Production".]
Royal Naval Factories
In both World War I and World War II the
Royal Navy had its own government-owned factories producing propellants and explosives, for naval guns. These were theRoyal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath (RNCF),Dorset (WW I & WW II), and theRoyal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent (RNPF),Monmouthshire (WW II only), respectively. They both closed as explosive manufacturing sites after World War II. Naval propellants were then manufactured atROF Bishopton and filled atROF Chorley , and laterROF Glascoed .National Explosives Factories (WW I)
*
HM Factory, Gretna
*NEF PembreyTo be expanded
Royal Navy Factories (WW I & WW II)
*
Royal Navy Cordite Factory, Holton Heath (RNCF)
*Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent (RNPF)UK high-explosive ROFs (WW II)
*
ROF Bridgwater
*ROF Drigg
*ROF Irvine
*ROF Pembrey Propellant ROFs (WW II)
*
ROF Bishopton
*ROF Ranskill
*ROF Sellafield
*ROF Wrexham Notes
References
* 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). "History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Civil Series: Works and Buildings". London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office and Longmans, Green and Co.
* Reader, W.J. (1975). "Imperial Chemical Industries: A History. Volume II: The First Quarter-Century 1926-1952". London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-215944-5.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.