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British Fuzes and their makers & fillers monograms

collector

collector

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I have seen the question asked many many times, all over the web: Which manufacturer is this?, what does this monogram mean? So I took it upon myself mainly because I had many questions too, to create a list of all I could find on the web and in books. I ended up with the list below.Took me a few weeks to find out.
As my area, where I usually live has been liberated by the British, I had dozens of examples. The list is way beyond complete, but I hope that it will be of use to some. Please feel free to add information, and I apologize in advance if I posted it in the wrong subject.


Royal Ordnance Factories and their codes/monogram initials

Only found on WWII British Fuzes:

Arche Wringers : AW

Ammunition Company of Europe: ACE

Birmingham Small Arms & Metal Company,: B - B.S.A

Birmingham metal &munitions Company: J

ROF Bethlehem Steel Cooperation: BSC

Bircham Newton: BN

ROF Blackburn.( B ), BE (East Block), BE (West block),BB for fuze mechanisms
BUS (208 Fuze with US mechanism)

ROF Blackpole: BE - BPL

RNAD Beith & Bentley engineering also shown as having BE as a monogram, but its not uncommon for companies to have the same monogram initials

Birmingham Small Arms: BSA

The Gramophone Company, London: early wartime T.G.Co
apparently after 1942: T.G.C.

Bryces : B

George Edmunds Ltd : GE

Hackbridge: B

James Gibbons , Wolverhampton: J.G

Filling Factory Banbury: BY

Burns Brothers: B or BB

RFF Bridgend; Filling Factory: BR

RFF Burghfield; Filling Factory: BD

RFF Chorley; Filling Factory : CY

RFF Kirkby; Filling Factory :KBY

ROF Maltby : RML

ROF Radway Green; SAA Factory :R.G. Or RG or RORG

RFF Risley: RL

ROF Spennymoor; SAA Factory: SR or S /|\ R

ROF, Steeton & Thorpe Arch ST & RH

RFF Thorp Arch; Filling Factory: TH or TAW (THORPE ARCH WETHERBY)

Ewarts Ltd. Dudley :URT

ROF P. Webley & Sons Birmingham: WB

Raleigh Cycle Co., Nottingham: RC or RCC or RH

British Munitions Co. Ltd., Millwall, London: BM

ROF, Radway Green, Cheshire, U.K.: RG or R /|\ G or R

Royal Laboratory, Woolwich Arsenal, Kent: RL or R /|\ L or RLB
(there was a filling area not far away in the vicinity of Abbey Wood. )

ROF, Blackburn: ROF.B

Screw Machine Products: S.M.P.

Canada:
Defense Industries, Brownsburg, Quebec, Canada: D /|\ C

General Engineering Co: Sc/C, Canada,

Filling Factory: McKinnon Industries: MI/C, Canada



Australia:
Amalgamated Wireless Australasia: AWA

RFF, Small Arms Ammunition Factory No 7, Salisbury, Australia: MS


Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Victoria : ME



ROF and RFF in the United Kingdom:

WWI explosives factories were:

HM Factory, Gretna
NEF Pembrey

WWI Filling factories were:

National Filling Factory No. 1, Leeds, (Barnbow).
National Filling Factory No. 2, Liverpool, (Aintree).
National Filling Factory, Hereford.
Scottish Filling Factory (National Filling Factory No. 4), NFF Georgetown, Renfrewshire.
National Filling Factory No. 5, Quedgeley.
National Filling Factory No. 6, Chilwell.
National Filling Factory No. 7, Hayes, Middlesex.
National Filling Factory No. 9, Banbury.
National Filling Factory No. 10, Whitmore Park, Coventry.
National Filling Factory No. 12, Cardonald.
National Filling Factory No. 13, White Lund, Morecambe.
as well as Royal Arsenal

there were also National Projectile Factories at Dudley, Nottingham, Hackney Marshes, Elisabethville.


WWII Explosives factories were at:

ROF Bishopton; 3 explosives factories.
ROF Bridgwater; Explosive ROF.
ROF Drigg; Explosive ROF.
ROF Irvine; Explosive ROF
ROF Pembrey; Explosive ROF.
ROF Ranskill; Explosive ROF.
ROF Sellafield
ROF Wrexham; Explosive ROF.

WWII Engineering factories were at:

ROF Cardiff; Engineering ROF
ROF Dalmuir; Engineering ROF.
ROF Leeds; Engineering ROF.
ROF Newport; Engineering ROF.
ROF Nottingham; Engineering ROF.
ROF Patricroft; M/C Shop Engineering ROF.
ROF Poole; Engineering ROF.
ROF Theale; Engineering ROF.

WWII: 20 Filling factories were planned but only 16 were built including:

ROF Aycliffe; ROF 59 (Filling Factory No. 8)
ROF Brackla; Filling Factory No. 11;
ROF Burghfield; Filling Factory No. 18.
ROF Bridgend; Filling Factory No. 2.
ROF Chorley; Filling Factory No. 1.
ROF Elstow; Filling Factory No. 16.
ROF Featherstone; Filling Factory No. 17.
ROF Glascoed; Filling Factory No. 3.
ROF Hereford; Filling Factory No. 4.
ROF Kirkby; Filling Factory No. 7.
ROF Queniborough; Filling Factory No. 10.
ROF Risley; Filling Factory No. 6.
ROF Ruddington; Filling Factory No 14.
ROF Swynnerton; Filling Factory No. 5.
ROF Thorpe Arch; Filling Factory No. 9
ROF Walsall; Filling Factory No. 15

WWII: Other Filling factories were devoted to Small Arms Ammunition:

ROF Blackpool; SAA Factory.
ROF Radway Green; SAA Factory.
ROF Southall; SAA Filling Factory.
ROF Spennymoor; SAA Factory.
ROF Steeton; SAA Factory.
ROF Summerfield; SAA Filling Factory.

Other WWII factories were at:

ROF Birtley.
ROF Blackburn.
ROF Brackla; ROF 41 at Brackla and ROF 53 at Waterton.
ROF Dunham on the Hill; Explosives storage depot
ROF Fazakerley; Rifles Factory.
ROF Hirwaun.
ROF Maltby; Rifles Factory.




Australia:
Ammunition Factories
Ammunition Factory Hay - Hay, New South Wales. Manufactured fuses.
Guns Ammunition Factory Finsbury (MC) - Finsbury, South Australia. Manufactured cartridge cases and shell fuses.
Explosives Factory Ballarat (MB) - Ballarat, Victoria.
Ordnance Factory Bendigo (BO or MBO) - Bendigo, Victoria. Manufactured artillery pieces and assembled shells.
Explosives Factory Maribyrnong (ME) - Maribyrnong; Melbourne, Victoria (1910-).
Explosives Factory Maribyrnong - Cordite Annexe (MEC) - Manufactured cordite propellant for cartridges and shells.
Explosives Factory Maribyrnong - Pyrotechnics Annexe (MEP) - Manufactured Explosive, Incendiary and Smoke shell projectile fillings.
Explosives Factory Salisbury (MS) - Salisbury, South Australia.
Munitions Factory Albury (MFA) - Albury, New South Wales. Manufactured shell fuses.
Munitions Factory Broken Hill (MFB) - Broken Hill, New South Wales. Manufactured shell fuses.
Munitions Factory Goulburn (MFG) - Goulburn, New South Wales. Manufactured shell fuses and Armor-Piercing and Tracer projectiles for 25-pounder Q.F. guns and 20mm Oerlikon cannons.
Munitions Factory Wagga Wagga (MFW) - Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Manufactured shell fuses.
Munitions Filling Factory St.Marys (MY) - St.Marys, Penrith, New South Wales (1941-1993?). Filled cartridges, mortar bombs, shells, and pyrotechnics.
Munitions Supply Lab Maribyrnong (ML) - Maribyrnong; Melbourne, Victoria.



References:

the interweb

books:
20th century industrial archaeology.

Cartridges & firearm identification.

R.O.F.: the story of the Royal Ordnance factories, 1939-1948.

Filling Factories: Royal Arsenal, Royal Ordnance Factory, Rof Risley, Rof Chorley, J. Lyons and Co. , National Shell Filling Factory, Chilwell.

several ammunition bulletins


Robert
 
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Robert,

You might want to amend the following-

Arche Wringers : AW – Acme Wringers

ROF Bethlehem Steel Corporation: BSC – Never a ROF, sadly the Crown has had no jurisdiction over Pennsylvania since 1776

Bircham Newton: BN – RAF Bircham Newton, a Station Monogram

ROF Blackpole: BE – BPL? what is your source?

RNAD Beith & Bentley engineering also shown as having BE as a monogram, but its not uncommon for companies to have the same monogram initials
BE - RNAD Beith – Royal Naval Ammunition Depot Beith a Station Monogram

Hackbridge: B – Hackbridge is an area, where Bryces were situated

Filling Factory Banbury: BY? They were National Filling Factory No.9 in the Great War and if appropriate would have stamped articles they filled "F9"

RFF Bridgend; Filling Factory: BR Not RFF but ROF(they’re all ROFs)

RFF Risley: RL – ROF Risley – RY

ROF, Steeton & Thorp Arch ST & RH – ROF Thorp Arch - TH
ROF Thorp Arch; Filling Factory: TH or TAW – is Vickers Armstrong, Thames Ammunition Works

ROF P. Webley & Sons Birmingham: WB – Never a ROF

Royal Laboratory, Woolwich Arsenal, Kent: RL or R /|\ L or RLB - is ROF Birtley

Filling Factory: McKinnon Industries: MI/C, Canada - McKinnon made 199 and 222 fuzes (and some primers) they weren’t fillers

TimG
 
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ROF Bethlehem is indeed major typing error..its a US company..there were a few factories which I gave too much credit.

The rest can be traced back in either the books that I mentioned or Ministry of Munitions and in particular volumes 5, 8 and 12., some on the web, some of them even come from BOCN..
Some books write about a filling factory (RFF), to distinguish the difference between an engineering factory and a filling factory.

I could comment on every part, as why I filled what out or why is Risley RY, instead or RL, because either I found it on the web, or read it in a book.
McKinnon..Looked again to the Zinc no.119 fuze from Canada and the Canadians marked it the other way around. They started with the filling factory and added the engineering factory afterwards.

Please do check out the books mentioned. As said, my list is way from being complete.

Depending on the website you check or book you read, the information differs. There is not one answer, but many suggestions. And if you trigger the correct people, we will all finally receive answers after reading books for 5 years and asking every forum known to man. Suddenly people wake up while the old question can even be found on BOCN: Is there a list available of British fuze manufacturers? The answer was always NO.. and finally we've got a YES. There is enough info out there, we only need the people to share it.

other references used:
Ministry of Munitions
War Memoirs of David Lloyd George

The 'almost changed part'(as there are some disagreements out there) as I could not edit my original msg anymore:

Acme Wringers : AW

Ammunition Company of Europe: ACE

Birmingham Small Arms & Metal Company,: B - B.S.A

Birmingham metal &munitions Company: J

Bethlehem Steel Cooperation: BSC

ROF Blackburn.( B ), BE (East Block), BE (West block),BB for fuze mechanisms
BUS (208 Fuze with US mechanism)

ROF Blackpool: BE

Bentley engineering also shown as having BE as a monogram, but its not uncommon for companies to have the same monogram initials

Birmingham Small Arms: BSA

The Gramophone Company, London: early wartime T.G.Co
apparently after 1942: T.G.C.

Bryces : B

George Edmunds Ltd : GE

James Gibbons , Wolverhampton: J.G

Filling Factory Banbury: BY

Burns Brothers: B or BB

RFF Bridgend; Filling Factory: BR

RFF Burghfield; Filling Factory: BD

RFF Chorley; Filling Factory : CY

RFF Kirkby; Filling Factory :KBY

ROF Maltby : RML

ROF Radway Green; SAA Factory :R.G. Or RG or RORG

RFF Risley: RL

ROF Spennymoor; SAA Factory: SR or S /|\ R

ROF, Steeton & Thorpe Arch ST & RH

RFF Thorp Arch; Filling Factory: TH

Thames Ammunition Works: TAW

Ewarts Ltd. Dudley :URT

P. Webley & Sons Birmingham: WB

Raleigh Cycle Co., Nottingham: RC or RCC or RH

British Munitions Co. Ltd., Millwall, London: BM

ROF, Radway Green, Cheshire, U.K.: RG or R /|\ G or R

Royal Laboratory, Woolwich Arsenal, Kent: RL or R /|\ L or RLB
( there was a filling area not far away in the vicinity of Abbey Wood. )

ROF, Blackburn: ROF.B

Screw Machine Products: S.M.P.

Canada:
Defense Industries, Brownsburg, Quebec, Canada: D /|\ C

two filling companies: Canadian Car Munitions Ltd (mark = Cr/C); and General Engineering Co (Sc/C)

Engineering Factory: McKinnon Industries: MI/C, Canada
 
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Absolutely correct Ammo, and how far I've come, reading books, looking through the BOCN website, google etc....
Looking forward to any additions one might have. In the end we will have a nice database, in one subject, this will safe everybody lots a questions and time looking for answers.

Afterwards if everybody has given their contribution one could create a final document, filter out any discrepancies/faults/mistakes et voila a nice database.

just my two humble cents.
 
TimG,

Quote:

" ROF Bethlehem Steel Corporation: BSC – Never a ROF, sadly the Crown has had no jurisdiction over Pennsylvania since 1776"

WHAT? Sadly? :tinysmile_hmm_t:

Brian
 
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collectorAfterwards if everybody has given their contribution one could create a final document said:
.
Click to expand...

Collector,

I have uploaded a file of manufacturers (locations & monograms) of British fuzes and components in WW2. It was too big to put here but should appear in Downloads in a day or so. For anyone new to the use of monograms on British ammunition I offer the following observations:
a. Monograms can be re-issued so WW1 monograms are not necessarily used by the same firm in WW2
b. A company might use one monogram for fuzes and another for other stores (eg De La Rue used D for fuzes and DLR on 69 grenades)
c. A shell making company might use the same monogram as a fuze making company
d. Station monograms can be confused with manufacturers monograms (and in some cases it is right to do so (ROFs for instance))
e. Letter groups can be to do with batch/lotting
f. I & V ( and N) relating to Mark (and service) can be close to the manufacturers monogram, particularly on fuzes
g. Monograms of filling stations may be found stamped on a fuze
h. Reworked fuzes etc., will likely have two or more monograms (plus filling stations).

Hope the above and the file is found useful.
 
Absolutely great!, What a great list. How many mysteries you've solved. Good to know whats finally in my collection, where it was made and where did it come from. Many people will appreciate this.
My problems are solved and questions answered.

What a great Forum, and of course the wonderful people who make the forum!
Its a real privilege being a member of it.

many many thanks,

Robert
 
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