Munitions Factories in Ireland

johnny_doyle · 28-01-2012 10:39pm #1

following on from a photo thread on the Dublin.ie forums, there was a munitions factory at Parkgate Street in Dublin. There was a "National Shell Factory" and there was apparently a "National Fuse Factory" in Dublin but not sure if this was on the same site.

There were private munitions factories in Arklow, Belfast and Wexford. An
explosion at the Arklow factory in September 1917 resulted in 27 deaths.

Factories were opened in Waterford (for cartridges) as well as Cork and Galway (for shells).

The Dublin factory was set alight on the 3rd June 1921.

When the armistice came into effect, Dublin Shell Factory employed 809 people, the Dublin Fuse Factory employed 557, the Waterford Cartridge Factory employed 519, Cork Shell Factory employed 148 and Galway employed 115. There was supposed to be a Shell Factory in Belfast but not sure if that ever got built.

The first shell produced in Galway is mentioned/pictured in a newsletter at this website :

http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/Heritage/Newsletters/2003Newsletters/FileEnglish,1270,en.pdf

Interested to know if anyone has any more information about the production of munitions in Ireland during WW1.

Victor · 29-01-2012 2:17am

I wasn't aware of this.

The Arklow factory was between the North Quay and the caravan park, with an extensive network of tramways leading to the magazines. http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,725305,673114,7,9

Infirmary Road next to Parkgate Street had long had ordnance stores, but I'm not sure where there was space to employ 1,300 people. Possibly the Hickeys/ Parkgate Place sites. The Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park wasn't far away. One of the other factories was in the docks - there were fertilizer factories that may have had a history of using nitrates. Parkgate Street was variously referred to as "Dublin Shell Factory" or "Dublin National Shell Factory".

The Waterford factory appears to have been at the former Waterford South Station: http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,659125,613196,7,9

Suggestion here: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=163148 of another factory in Dundalk.

Google Books throws up some references.

Description here, with a slightly ominous following paragraph. http://www.deskeenan.com/5NiChapter10.htm

The national shell factory in Dublin was now in full production. Captain Downie, who was in charge of it, worked miracles with obsolete machinery; very good 4.5in shells were made on lathes dating from 1847. The great majority of the workers were girls. The wage for women workers was 15 shillings a week when many employers in Dublin were paying only 6 shillings a week. In the factory in Dublin there was a canteen which served wholesome food which many of the working girls were not accustomed to. The ladies’ committee presiding over the canteen was chaired by the Marchioness of Waterford (Weekly Irish Times 11 March 1916).

The enlarged and re-constructed General Post Office in Sackville Street re-opened for business early in March. The old entrance under the portico in Sackville Street was re-opened and gave access to the public office which ran the full length of the portico and was 40 feet wide. The public were in the centre while the desks were arranged in horse-shoe fashion around the three walls. In the centre of the public space were the writing tables and a telephone booth or call box (Weekly Irish Times 11 March 1916).

There two links appear to have the same text, but there are a large number of errors in converting the text from the original.

http://www.archive.org/stream/modernirishtrade00rioriala/modernirishtrade00rioriala_djvu.txt

http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/e-j-edward-j-riordan/modern-irish-trade-and-industry-ala/page-17-modern-irish-trade-and-industry-ala.shtml

johnny_doyle · 29-01-2012 9:32am

thanks Victor. The Parkgate St site became the Hickey's Fabric factory (opposite Heuston Station?) and I believe has subsequently been redeveloped.

The Dublin.ie forum link where's there's a possible river view of Parkgate(?) is

http://www.dublin.ie/forums/showthread.php?15310-Dublin-and-The-Great-War/page6

I'm on the Great War Forum and have seen the Dundalk reference but that's the only place I've seen it. It's possible that this was one of the private munitions companies but that's just speculation at the moment.

There is some connection with a John Smellie and the "Dublin Dockyard War Munitions Company Limited". He had a book out but I've not been able to get to see a copy yet

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=6011809077&searchurl=prl%3D50%26sortby%3D1%26vci%3D53799213

Delancey · 29-01-2012 2:58pm

A couple of years ago a storm shifted the sands at Brittas Bay and exposed the foundations of a long-forgotten munitions plant that according to the Irish Times had employed well over a thousand people.

Apparently at the end of WW1 the factory closed when the owners relocated production to South Africa ( even then they had Globalisation ! ).
I have no link unfortunately , just going from memory of IT reports.

gizmo555 · 29-01-2012 11:05pm

Not exactly munitions, but Grubb of Rathmines, world renowned telescope makers, turned to making telescopic gunsights and submarine periscopes during WW I.

johnny_doyle · 30-01-2012 12:46am

Delancey wrote: »

A couple of years ago a storm shifted the sands at Brittas Bay and exposed the foundations of a long-forgotten munitions plant that according to the Irish Times had employed well over a thousand people.

Apparently at the end of WW1 the factory closed when the owners relocated production to South Africa ( even then they had Globalisation ! ).
I have no link unfortunately , just going from memory of IT reports.

thanks for this.

The story of the Kynoch factory in Arklow at the following website makes mention of Brittas Bay

http://www.historyireland.com/volumes/volume14/issue1/features/?id=314

Was the sand shift definitely Brittas Bay or Arklow? Arklow would fit in with the above webpage.

Just found this story in the Indo

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/schooner-rather-than-later-ship-rises-from-deep-62682.html

johnny_doyle · 30-01-2012 12:49am

gizmo555 wrote: »

Not exactly munitions, but Grubb of Rathmines, world renowned telescope makers, turned to making telescopic gunsights and submarine periscopes during WW I.

didn't know anything about this. Interesting snippet. Just finished reading about John Holland today in Ian Kenneally's book Courage and Conflict and the lack of periscopes was mentioned in relation to Holland's work.

arnhem44 · 30-01-2012 5:14pm

I was only reading about the munitions factory yesterday in the book "Galway And The Great War" where it describes the setting up and running of the factory there.

johnny_doyle · 30-01-2012 7:23pm

is that a book worth getting Brendan?

I've just done a Buy It Now on ebay for Liffey Ships and Shipbuilding by Pat Sweeney. Not my normal reading material but it appears to mention the Dublin Dockland Munitions Co Ltd plus some info re the Helga/Easter Rising.

johnny_doyle · 30-01-2012 7:36pm

attached are a couple of interesting stats from "Modern Irish Trade and Industry", a 1920 publication.

The Dublin area is deemed to be from Louth down to Wexford, across to Kerry and up to Sligo.

The book mentions the "5 so called national factories" which covers the 2 Dublin operations, Waterford, Galway and Cork.

Victor · 30-01-2012 9:59pm

johnny_doyle wrote: »

The Dublin area is deemed to be from Louth down to Wexford, across to Kerry and up to Sligo.

I'm not sure, bus I suspect this is a euphemism for Northern Ireland / Southern Ireland.

arnhem44 · 30-01-2012 11:18pm

johnny_doyle wrote: »

is that a book worth getting Brendan?

I've just done a Buy It Now on ebay for Liffey Ships and Shipbuilding by Pat Sweeney. Not my normal reading material but it appears to mention the Dublin Dockland Munitions Co Ltd plus some info re the Helga/Easter Rising.

Hi johnny,I picked it up for 2.99 in my local bookstore.The chapters are short so each topic is covered by around ten to fifteen pages ,I feel that it could of went into more detail to cover each subject but it's an interesting read giving a good insight into recruiting and so on.I did see it on ebay and the cheapest is 17.90 which is way too much for it and it's also worth pointing out that this book is part one of two parts,the second been "Forgotten Heros-Galway Soldiers Of The Great War 1914-1918" which covers a roll of honour and the casualties from Galway.

On the subject of the munitions factories,can you tell me where the one in Cork was,I know that Ballincollig had the Gun Powder Mills but this closed in 1903.I did come across small mentions in the newspaper archives of people going to work in the munitions factories but it never said where the factory was.

johnny_doyle · 31-01-2012 12:15am

the division into the 2 areas stems from 1915 apparently when the munitions industry was being re-vamped (the war hadn't ended by Christmas....and there was a scandal re the lack of shells available at the front). There may have been an element of North vs South but it is surprising that a National Factory producing either shells, cartridges or fuses wasn't opened in the Belfast area.

The rest of the UK was divided into 8 areas. At the moment, I don't know what those areas were. Delving in further in just keeps bringing up more questions.

It appears that Ireland got just 0.22% of the Ministry of Munitions expenditure.

Got the attached from the text of a UK Cabinet paper re the post war wind down of the various National Factories. Political and Historical considerations appears to have been an issue at this time for the Irish factories. The report is data 18th October 1918.

The Dr Addision mentioned in the attachment appears to have some records stored re munitions in Ireland.

Apparently a "1916 Output of Beer (Restriction) Act" was passed to enable the Ministry of Munitions to commandeer distilleries to be adapted to make the chemicals needed for ammunition and explosives. Not sure if any were commandeered in Ireland.

Waterford Chamber of Commerce appears to have lobbied for the establishment of a munitions factory and to have met the Prime Minister, Asquith, re setting one up. A company called Hearne & Co appears to have won a contract for the supply of ammunition boxes.

The NLI appear to have a number of photos re the Waterford factory but they don't seem to be available to view online.

johnny_doyle · 31-01-2012 12:21am

arnhem44 wrote: »

Hi johnny,I picked it up for 2.99 in my local bookstore.The chapters are short so each topic is covered by around ten to fifteen pages ,I feel that it could of went into more detail to cover each subject but it's an interesting read giving a good insight into recruiting and so on.I did see it on ebay and the cheapest is 17.90 which is way too much for it and it's also worth pointing out that this book is part one of two parts,the second been "Forgotten Heros-Galway Soldiers Of The Great War 1914-1918" which covers a roll of honour and the casualties from Galway.

On the subject of the munitions factories,can you tell me where the one in Cork was,I know that Ballincollig had the Gun Powder Mills but this closed in 1903.I did come across small mentions in the newspaper archives of people going to work in the munitions factories but it never said where the factory was.

thanks for the info re the books.

This is all I have re the Cork site so far

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/mapsimages/corkphotographs/michaelolearyphotos/saintpetersmarket/

and this slideshow (slide 6 mentioned North Main St)

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28285141/National-Factories-Controlled-by

Victor · 31-01-2012 12:25am

arnhem44 wrote: »

On the subject of the munitions factories,can you tell me where the one in Cork was,I know that Ballincollig had the Gun Powder Mills but this closed in 1903.I did come across small mentions in the newspaper archives of people going to work in the munitions factories but it never said where the factory was.

I can't imagine it being overly large, so it could have been anywhere. It would have had an obvious advantage if it was along the quays. There was an iron works here: http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,566957,571742,7,9 but that location isn't accessible by barge / ship. It is possible that it wasn't even int eh city.

Aside from the ordinary naval stores on Haulbowline Island and the batteries around the harbour, there was a major magazine on Rocky Island. http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,579179,565058,7,3

johnny_doyle · 31-01-2012 12:27am

nice little snippet re a "munitionette" in Dublin

http://www.historyireland.com/volumes/volume17/issue1/features/?id=113762

arnhem44 · 31-01-2012 10:35am

Cheers lads.I just had a look and saw it's on the other side of North Main St. so close enough to the dock area.I've probably passed there a thousand times not knowing anything about it,I'll have a look for some more on it but here's a snippet from the History of the Bodega,St.Peter's Market

The First World War began in August 1914, and the Irish Market became one of its casualties. In April 1916, the month of the Easter Rising, Cork corporation, which was then controlled by a Redmondite majority who supported the British war effort, handed St Peter’s over to the Ministry of Munitions which established a National Shell Factory there. The remaining stallholders were accommodated in a specially adapted section of the Bazaar.
After the war’s end in late 1918 the St Peter’s site returned to the corporation. Following independence in 1922 most of it was leased out, first as a garage and subsequently to the shoemaking firm Dwyer & Co, but a small portion at the North Main Street end was retained as a meat market by the corporation

http://www.bodegacork.ie/history/

Victor · 01-02-2012 12:17am

St. Peter's is here: http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,567142,572028,7,9 given its central location, I'm not sure it was the best place for such an enterprise. http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=cork&hl=en&ll=51.899704,-8.476676&spn=0.000735,0.005284&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.396334,21.643066&hnear=Cork,+County+Cathair+Chorcaigh&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=51.899703,-8.476678&panoid=RStHhWtmXkp-z2BMFwU9XQ&cbp=12,237.13,,0,-4.93

The Bazaar (actually a nice enough building) is a few doors down. http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=cork&hl=en&ll=51.899234,-8.476446&spn=0.000735,0.005284&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.396334,21.643066&hnear=Cork,+County+Cathair+Chorcaigh&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=51.899142,-8.4764&panoid=4w6E4iZOt_BfmQV0_Sc9Ww&cbp=12,278.8,,0,-11.6

arnhem44 · 01-02-2012 11:01am

Maybe with the selection of different buildings to be found down along the quay's it could of been better suited somewhere else,still it's only about a mile either side of the river to the main dock areas at the same time and based near the quay's itself.However was such manufacturing suited to such an area given the dangers involved,probably not.

johnny_doyle · 07-02-2012 10:14pm

not quite munitions but it would appear that the Dublin Dockyard Co was involved in the construction of pontoons and bridging equipment for the Army.

This Dockyard also built 2 fishery vessels modelled on the Helga which were used by the Canadian Navy in WW1. One of these vessels was the only one lost by the Canadians during WW1

http://www.gwpda.org/naval/galiano.htm

http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/navy/objects_photos_search-e.aspx?section=4-A&id=49&page=2

Her sister ship was the HMCS Malaspina

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr_gorham/6112627116/

cliveocr · 30-04-2012 9:23pm

Hi,

Do you know when the Dublin National Shell Factory started production ?

I am trying to close the gap between it being a woollen factory and becoming a munitions factory.

The IWM pictures are dated 1914, but the official board of management of the Dublin National Shell Factory was appointed in October 1915.

The Ministry had opened an office in Dublin in 1914, so I don't know how the factory could be as productive so quickly (as appears in the IWM pictures).

As Captain Fairbairn Downie arrived in July 1915, I had assumed there was not much activity in 1914.

Any help appreciated,

Clive

johnny_doyle · 30-04-2012 10:16pm

a progress report from 5th Jan 1916

Victor · 01-05-2012 12:42am

cliveocr wrote: »

The Ministry had opened an office in Dublin in 1914, so I don't know how the factory could be as productive so quickly (as appears in the IWM pictures).

A few factors.

Back then, there were few administrative obstacles.

The buildings were largely present (save the leaky roof) and at least some of the machinery was taken from elsewhere.

There was a war on.

cliveocr · 01-05-2012 7:33am

Hi,

Thanks for the newspaper article - just what I was looking for.

Would that suggest that the IWM pictures of the Factory were taken in 1916 rather than 1914 ?

Clive

Jawgap · 03-05-2012 8:46am

'Bullets, Boots & Bandages' on the BBC looked at the production of materiel.

There's an article on munitions production on bbc.co.uk that discusses the significant increase in artillery shell production round about the time the factory in Dublin was set up (presumably as part of the effort to expand production).

Munitions Factories in Ireland

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