EPW002091 ENGLAND (1920). Cellulose Acetate Silk Works, Lancaster, 1920

Caton Road, Lancaster was the scene of great activity during the First World War and the history of the Vickers run Lancaster National Projectile Factory is well accounted for. Currently the history of the old Caton Carriage and Wagon Works is briefly described as being used to accommodate soldiers of the 5th Battalion KORLR between the 5th and 14th August 1914 after which the battalion left Lancaster for Didcot in order to guard Lines of Communication on the Great Western Railway. After the 5th Battalion departed the Wagon Works were used as Detention Barracks for illegal aliens and prisoners of war guarded by the Royal Welch Fusiliers. At one time the officer in charge was Robert Graves who later included his experiences in Lancaster in ‘Good-Bye to All That’. Here the history appears to end but further investigation of the missing war years has uncovered a more secretive use of the works.

A rare Vickers archived document contains a copy of a memorandum on the subject, dated 20 February 1935, drawn up by J. P. Davison, a director of the Whitehead Torpedo Co. Ltd. at Weymouth and sent to Sir Charles Craven at Vickers House with a covering letter dated 21 February 1935. Davison says that the name of the company which would produce torpedoes (The Caton Engineering Works) was chosen so as not to arouse the suspicion of foreign agents. According to the memorandum, the records of the Caton Engineering Co. Ltd were destroyed after its liquidation in 1919, but Davison says that he was very closely connected with the enterprise.

Scott ‘A History of Vickers’ provides further information: During the First World War the Admiralty decided that the two existing torpedo factories, the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory at Greenock and Whitehead Factory at Weymouth would not be able to supply all the torpedoes the navy would require. They also considered torpedoes were a class of munitions too intricate and specialized to be given to outside contractors. In July 1915 Vickers and Armstrong were approached and asked to establish a new torpedo factory. The factory was to have an initial output of ten torpedoes a week and for this purpose a factory was built on 'a large portion of old railway wagon works at Caton, Lancaster which had been empty for some time.

Superimposed on existing shortages of labour and of machine tools and starting from scratch, the factory became more problematic than it had first appeared. Some plant and equipment did not come forward for twelve months after it had been ordered, whilst engineers and other tradesmen were obtained mainly from Weymouth and Elswick where the labour force was already precarious. With such personnel in charge the factory began deliveries of 18 inch torpedoes in October 1916 and reached its output of ten per week during early 1917. By June, Caton’s production target was fifteen torpedoes a week; it was producing nineteen and later twenty-two and commencing 1918 deliveries of 21 inch torpedoes started. Davison in his memorandum states that the total number of torpedoes produced was 1,726, together with many parts for the Whitehead factory at Weymouth

This view shows the National Projectile Factory built 1916/17 for the manufacture of shell casings. By 1919 it was making small bombs. When they ceased making the latter it was used until about 1921-22 for the repair of railway wagons, probably in conjunction with Caton Engineering Works, which was in part of the old wagon works which was nearer to Green Ayre station. The Wagon Works closed down in 1908, was used temporarily as a barracks for the Lancaster Kings Own No5 regiment and also for foreigners interned during the war. After that the War Ministry set up Caton Engineering Works in part of the buildings to aid the war effort. In 1923 Sundour bought the entire Wagon works and started Standfast. In 1924 Lancaster Corporation bought the NPF's power station (seen on the left in this view) to power Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham. The NPF buildings were unused from 1922 until the Cellulose Acetate Silk Co took them over in 1928; they changed their name to Lansil (Lancaster Silk) sometime in the late 1930s.

This would appear to be the Lancaster wagon works of the Midland Railway, which commenced operation in 1868 and closed sometime after 1923 as there are LMS markings on some of the wagons. (A local history website suggests it closed in 1922, i.e. before the formation of the LMS at the 1923 amalgamation of the railways.) The image is full of part built/painted wagons and a large number (over 45) of goods brake vans with balconies at both ends, which is unusual for the Midland that had many brake vans with only one enclosed balcony. These may be War Department vehicles, the un-repainted vehicles not showing any large markings. The number of brake vans in the view might suggest surplus stock that is in the works for refitting for civilian use. There are also rows of wheel sets. The site has been used for a number of industrial uses before its present definition on the OS map as an industrial estate. Modern aerial images cover more of the old works buildings, including a gate house/tower and office block, remaining in the next section of the site to the left (south) of this image. The bend in the canal and the aqueduct across the River Lune remain as strong landmarks.

I believe that the caption is wrong for this photo. If it is L M S on the wagons as Maurice points out then it was after 1923 so the date, 1920, will be wrong.

Cellulose Acetate 'Silk' was first commercially produced in the world by British Celanese Limited at Spondon, Derby. It's U S Company, AMCEL, started producing acetate fibre shortly afterwards. Other acetate producers were a few years behind B C L. This would make the reference to Cellulose Acetate Silk Works, Lancaster, 1920. wrong.

If, as Maurice suggests, that the wagon works was reduced in size over the years then I would suggest that the Lancaster Silk Company took over redundant wagon works buildings and rebuilt the acetate spinning plant on the site.

This also fits in with the fact that Lansil did not produce their own cellulose flake on site but did so with a joint company with Courtaulds, Nelson Acetate, Courtaulds not starting acetate production until the late 20's/early 30's.

Lansil Works. I was an apprentice here in the 40/50's

To the left is the Power Station - to the right of the Canal bridge.