Aeroplane factory in sheffield?

[Michael_W 11]

People tell me Spitfire crankshafts were forged somewhere in Tinsley. If my father-in-law was still alive he could have given us the full story as he was a drop-stamper at Firth Derrion. He said if the Luftwaffe had hit the plant then we would have been in deep trouble as the skills and equipment necessary to carry out such tasks were in short supply.

 

That would probably have been at a firm called Ambrose Shardlows, I reckon, what remains of it now is under Italian ownership and is called Bifrangi UK, I think

Edited June 17, 2009 by Michael_W

[willybite 10]

That would probably have been at a firm called Ambrose Shardlows, I reckon, what remains of it now is under Italian ownership and is called Bifrangi UK, I think

 

my uncle worked for bramahs on the corner of devonshire street and eldon street in the early 40s i think they made wing parts, not all that sure. i do know that my ex son in law's grand father worked in southampton during the war building spitfire's he told me once they were building one per day.

[Yorkie10 10]

The company on Eyre Street I think may have been called ASME (Aircraft and sheet metal engineers).They were there up to the 1970's.

 

Crankshafts for the Rolls Royce Merlin engines were made, I was led to believe by a company called Ambrose Shardlow, somewhere near Meadowbank Road

 

I used to work at Ambrose Shardlow in the forge drawing office working on designing the dies which stamped out the crankshafts in the Forge Shop. Yes the crankshafts for the Rolls Royce Merlin engine which powered the Spitfire and the Large R101 air ships were all stamped and machined at Shardlows.

I always remember being in the old drawing office store room and digging through the drawings and finding some drawings for the carnkshafts.

And the Mitchell Shackle-ton bomber cranks were made there as well.

[gmarshman 10]

Have come across this Thread and noted a comment made by michael_w on his father in law, who worked at Firth-Derihon Stampings.

I would be interested to know of the name of his father in law?

 

Also picked up the Thread on Roper and Wreaks on Eyre St., part of the Harry Bottom empire which included Stainless Plating.who were and still are electrolplating specialists providing coating for many aircraft parts.

 

I believe Roper and Wreaks made Clutches for motor vehicles in the 1930to 1940's specially for some models of M.G. I also believe they produced a Motor Car for a short period

 

Gary Marshman

North Wales

[Michael_W 11]

Have come across this Thread and noted a comment made by michael_w on his father in law, who worked at Firth-Derihon Stampings.

I would be interested to know of the name of his father in law?

 

Also picked up the Thread on Roper and Wreaks on Eyre St., part of the Harry Bottom empire which included Stainless Plating.who were and still are electrolplating specialists providing coating for many aircraft parts.

 

I believe Roper and Wreaks made Clutches for motor vehicles in the 1930to 1940's specially for some models of M.G. I also believe they produced a Motor Car for a short period

 

Gary Marshman

North Wales

 

The post your on about Gary was posted by Nimrod, I only quoted it, try sending Nimrod a PM if you don't get a reply on this thread

 

---------- Post added 11-09-2013 at 00:56 ----------

 

Quite a few Sheffield manufacturing companies both past and present, have been or are currently involved with the manufacture of aircraft (aerospace) parts.

[gmarshman 10]

nimrod

 

Picked up this thread on the father in law of NIMROD , who had worked at Firth Derihon Stampings .

 

I would be interested to hear of the name of your father in law

 

Gary Marshman

North Wales

[little malc 10]

For the first eighteen months of the war the only drop hammer that could forge Merlin crankshafts was Vickers. The 15 ton steam powered hammer weighing over 200 tons produced 84 stampings per shift. Cravens on Staniforth Rd who were carriage builders, built wings for the Lysander and the Horsa glider. A special section of the firm was set up to make huge numbers of Merlin exhaust manifolds. Most of the steel firms in Sheffield made parts for aircraft as well as other war products.

[gmarshman 10]

Referring to entry by little malc , didnt realise Vickers had Drop Forge facility.

Surely Vickers became Firth Vickers at Tinsley and produced Stainless steel.

 

Firth Derihon also at Tinsley contributed to war effort with forging to the aircraft industry but at the time of World War 2 the maximum Drop Stamp capacity was I believe 6 tons, increasing to 8 tons after the war and then by 1960 an increase to 10 tons. Think the largest was further increased late 1960's to circa 15 tons, so the Derihon capacity would not have been enough for Merlin crankshaft manufacture,at that time.

 

Gary Marshman

North Wales

[manaman 10]

"Vickers" or it's correct name English Steel Corporation (owned 75% by Vickers and 25% by Cammell Laird) had a Drop Forge Department. This Department, as stated by little malc, had the only drop hammer which could forge the Merlin engine crankshaft forging for the first eighteen months of WW2.

 

Firth-Vickers Stainless Steels was formed in 1934, when Thomas Firth, John Brown and English Steel Corporation merged their stainless steel interests, and became equal partners.

[Yorkie10 10]

Not a Plane building factory but Bramahs now out at Halfway made and still do make many components for aircraft bodies and engines (particularly RR engines). A lot of parts that make aircraft work efficiently are made in Sheffield. The new A380 Airbus Giant was launched with RR engines, you can bet many of the parts in those engines were made in good old Sheffield.

A lot of Sheffield engineering firms were involved in the war effort, I worked at Shardlows in 1974, started as an apprentice and moved into the forge drawing office. In the archive filing cabinets we had forging drawings for the following aero engines : Merlin crankshaft (Spitfire)(Lancaster bomber), Mitchell Shackleton, Blackstone, crankshafts for the R101 and R102 airships.

With regard to the Sheffield Simplex car, the car was manufactured in Sheffield and I beleive the company went bust due to falling demand and it ended up getting swallowed up by British Leyland in its very early days.

Google Sheffield Simples, Ambrose Shardlow, Sharldow India, Simpson Machine Tools, it will all come up .

Edited September 18, 2013 by Yorkie10

[Asaw 10]

Think Rothervale at woodhouse Mill use to have something to do with making planes in the war could have been gliders

[lazarus 68]

Does anyone know of an aeroplane factory in sheffield during WW2?

mY NAN WORK THERE WE THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN ON EYRE STREET, but not sure if anyone has photos or maps or anything I would be interested, thanks for looking xxx

 

 

 

 

 

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---------- Post added 20-09-2013 at 18:21 ----------

 

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by georgie491

 

Does anyone know of an aeroplane factory in sheffield during WW2?

mY NAN WORK THERE WE THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN ON EYRE STREET, but not sure if anyone has photos or maps or anything I would be interested, thanks for looking xxx

 

 

 

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

 

---------- Post added 20-09-2013 at 18:14 ----------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by lazarus

 

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by georgie491

 

Does anyone know of an aeroplane factory in sheffield during WW2?

mY NAN WORK THERE WE THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN ON EYRE STREET, but not sure if anyone has photos or maps or anything I would be interested, thanks for looking xxx

 

 

 

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

 

---------- Post added 20-09-2013 at 18:14 ----------

 

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by georgie491

 

Does anyone know of an aeroplane factory in sheffield during WW2?

mY NAN WORK THERE WE THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN ON EYRE STREET, but not sure if anyone has photos or maps or anything I would be interested, thanks for looking xxx

 

The firm you are thinking about was Aircraft & Sheet Metal and were part of J Billams Cutlery manufacturer ai 121 Eldon St, they also did parts for Rolls Royce cars. Im not sure but I think ASME moved into a new factory on Hodgson St, but I will check on that.

The firm was on the next street which is Milton Street, the firm has gone and building is now in progress on the site.

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

 

 

 

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

 

 

 

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

Edited September 20, 2013 by lazarus