25 pdr propellant manufacturers

[Dado]

Hello everyone. I'm compiling a list of propellant manufacturers for 25-pound launch charges. I'd like to share my findings so I can make corrections and fill in any gaps. Thanks for your help!

VC - Canadian Industries Limited (Canada)
OC - Olin Corporation (dal 1944 Olin Industries Inc.) (USA)
WAC - Royal Gunpowder Mills, (Waltham Abbey, Essex, GB) closed in 1943 due to the transfer of its production to other factories in the western part of the country
CEW - Central Engineering Works (Sud Africa)
MA - Merseyside Ammunition Works (Fazakerley, Liverpool, GB)
OK - Maribyrnong (Australia)
MS - Salisbury (Australia)
JOW - This is probably John Owen directly connected to Eley Brothers which in turn is part of Nobel Industries Ltd
T - ROF Thorp Arch (West Yorkshire, GB)
NK - Nobel-Kynoch (ICI) (Birmingham, GB)
MC - Finsbury, Adelaide, Australia
KA - ?
RC - ?
D - ?

 

[Darkman]

Propellant manufacturers or filling factories? The stencils on ammunition boxes refer to the filling factory monogram, the lot number and the nature of the propellant.

Maribyrnong, Australia was not a filling factory - it was an ordnance factory (steel forging and gun manufacture) and its monogram was MO.
Salisbury, South Australia (MS) was a filling factory.
Finsbury, South Australia (MC) was an ammunition factory (cart cases and fuzes).

 

[TimG]

Being polite, your list needs a total revision. If you can post a full image of the boxes we can take it from there.

TimG

 

[Dado]

Thank you, I knew I could count on your expertise. Maribyrnong, I found several monograms: ME, MEP, MEF, MEC (cordite factory), ML, MO. Perhaps different factories with different production.

 

[Dado]

To give you a starting point, I ask if the following reading of the markings is correct.
1 - Filling factory (Salisbury, Australia). Month and year
2 - Filling factory. Lot number of first charge. Composition (cordite) and size
3 - Filling factory. Lot number of second and third charge. Composition (cordite) and size
4 - Quantity, caliber, and model
5 - Propellant classification
6 - Weight of a single complete launch charge

 

[Dado]

This is another Australian case with the monogram of the second and third DK charges, identifying the Deer Park explosives factory. This made me wonder whether the bags were actually filled by the cordite or powder producers. Could it be both? That is, bags filled directly by the propellant producers, or propellant sent to the filling factories that then prepared the bags?

 

[Dado]

Sorry for the poor photos. These are some of the crates I started my search with.

 

[TimG]

During WWII our propellant factories were -

RGPF Waltham abbey - Propellant Lot "WA"
ROF Bishopton - "BS"
ROF Wrexham - Propellant Lot "X"
ROF Ranskill - Propellant Lot "R"
Dalbeattie, Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory run by ICI - Propellant Lot "T" (It appears this was meant to be a form of RN Cordite Factory, but not under the command of the Admiralty.
ICI Ardeer - Propellant Lot "D"
Powfoot, Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory run by ICI - Propellant Lot "Z"
Dumfries, Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory run by ICI
Girvan, Grangestone, Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory run by ICI
Drungans, Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory run by ICI

RNCF Holton Heath
RNCF Caerwent

The propellant was then passed to the various Filling, Ordnance Factories carrying out Group 5 work -

Group 5

Cartridge work – Takes components from other groups for assembly and issues completed work.

• Filling cordite into cloth bags for breech loaders
• Filling cordite into brass cartridges for separate loading ammunition
• Filling cordite into brass cartridges for complete rounds
• Cordite rocket assembly.

The factories were -

ROF Chorley - "CY"
ROF Bridgend - "BR"
ROF Glascoed - "GD"
ROF Kirkby - "KBY"
ROF Thorpe Arch - "TH"
ROF Aycliffe - "AE"
Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory - Elstow - "EW" (J. Lyons)
Ministry of Supply, Agency Factory -Featherstone - "FHE" (Messrs Courtaulds)
Vickers Armstrong sites

Your understanding of the makings on the box is correct.
To expand upon the propellant classification here are some more -

“B” for Ballistite
“C” for Cordite R.D.B.
“D” for Cordite M.D.
“E” for Cordite W
“K” for F.N.H./D.B.
“O” for N.H.

The boxes -

A1 – Cordite most probably sourced from M.O.S. Dalbeattie.

A2 – There is no apparent filler’s monogram on this box. The propellant lot identifier for Waltham Abbey was “W.A.” “W.A.C” might well be a corruption.

A4 – S.A.M. is South African Mint, Pretoria. I've no idea as to the ID of "MC" in this context.

G1 – What id the filler’s monogram, if any on this. No idea as to the identity of J.O.W.

M1 – S.A.M. is South African Mint, Pretoria. C.E.W. Cape Explosive Works. This was formed at the turn of the last century by W.R. Quinan at the behest of Cecil Rhodes to break Nobel's monopoly on explosives in Africa. Quinan went on to establish H.M. Factory Gretna during WWI, at the time the largest explosives factory in the world.

M2 - MA no idea

M3 – CR/C Cherrier, Canada – No idea as to the identity of VC or OC.

The Canadians had a very healthy Cordite manufacturing program. At the beginning of WWII, Canadian Industries Limited (C-I-L) created subsidiary Defence Industries Limited (DIL) to manufacture munitions.,

They had Cordite factories at -

Beloeil
Shawnigan
Île de Salaberry,
Windsor
Nobel
Winnipeg
Transconna

TimG

 

[Dado]

Thanks for your help! It'll be difficult to find reliable data, but it'll be a great challenge.