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NATIONAL FILLING FACTORY NO.6 CHILWELL

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The Great War explosives filling factory at Chilwell established in 1915 with two main aims of meeting the demands of the army on the Western Front for vast quantities of artillery shells and to fill these shells with the novel product - amatol. The factory was damaged by an accidental explosion in 1918 and rebuilt soon after. However, at the end of the war the factory was partly dismantled. The site was later reused as a military stores depot known as the Central Ordnance Depot and it retained this role throughout the Second World War and up to the present day.

The factory was known as National Filling Factory No.6 Chilwell and it was one of the most important filling factories in the country. It filled over 50% of the 60-pounder and 15-inch shells used during the war around 19,250,000 shells. In addition, it also filled naval mines and aerial bombs.
Lord Chetwynd was responsible for the construction and operation of the new factory and Chilwell was chosen as the site due to its central location in between the shell manufacturers in the north and the embarkation ports in the south. Chilwell was the scene of the worst accidental munitions explosion of
the Great War in Britain when on 1 July 1918 the ammonium nitrate plant exploded resulting in the loss of 134 lives.

Within the present depot a number of buildings from the Great War survive which have been adapted to new uses. The largest surviving building is the former shell store. Its floor area covered nearly 9 acres and it could hold up to 600,000 filled shells and 100,000 empty shells.

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SK 509 352. At the outbreak of the Great War the principal British
shell filling was picric acid or lyddite. Trinitrotoluene or TNT
had been used by the Germans since the beginning of the century but
was only manufactured by a few British factories prior to 1914.
Experiments showed that relatively expensive TNT could be mixed with
ammonium nitrate, which acted as a diluter, when used as a shell
filling this mixture was known as amatol. The factory at Chilwell
was conceived with the twin aims of meeting the demands of the army
on the western front for vast quantities of artillery shells and to
fill these shells with the novel product - amatol. The factory was
known as National Filling Factory No.6 Chilwell. It was one of the
most important filling factories in the country, it filled over 50%
of the 60-pounder and 15-inch shells used during the war, which
numbered 19,250,000 shells. In addition it also filled naval mines
and aerial bombs.

Responsibilty for the construction and operation of the new factory
was given to Lord Chetwynd, a man with no previous experience in
handling explosives. The site at Chilwell was selected due to its
central location in the country where explosives manufactured in the
north and midlands could be brought together, filled and then moved
south to the embarkation ports. The site at Chilwell also offered
open farm land on which to build the factory and a ready supply of
labour with Nottingham laceworkers laid off after the outbreak of
war. As with many processes associated with the manufacture and
handling of explosives novel solutions were required to meet new
problems. The solution to the problem of filling shells with amatol
arrived at by Lord Chetwynd was one of the most individual and
idiosyncratic. TNT and ammonium nitrate were supplied to the
factory by rail from different chemical works and were stored before
mixing. Ammonium nitrate is highly hydroscopic and before
processing it needed to be dried and crushed. In the design of the
plant he adapted coal crushing, stone pulverising, sugar drying,
paint making, sugar sifting, flour milling and bread making machines
to the processes of preparing the ingredients and mixing the amatol.

In operation ammonium nitrate and pure TNT were delivered to the
factory by rail and kept in storehouses on the southern side of the
factory until needed. After the ammonium nitrate had been dried, it
and the TNT passed to two separate multi-storey mill buildings,
similiar in design to contemporary flour mills. The ingredients
were then milled and sifted and allowed to fall by gravity through
the buildings. The prepared powders then passed to the Mixing House
where they were combined in the correct proportions. The powdered
amatol was then moved along a covered passage to the Press Houses,
in the meantime empty shell were brought from the Empty Shell Store
at the base of the hill. These were then filled with the powdered
amatol before the contents were compacted under hydraulic pressure.
The filled shells were then moved down the hill to the Filled Shell
Store ready for dispatch.

Chilwell was the scene of the worst accidental munitions explosion of
the Great War in Britain when on 1 July 1918 the ammonium nitrate
plant exploded resulting in the loss of 134 lives. A monument (SK
50868 35201) comprising a truncated pyramid set on a square stepped
plinth surmounted by an obelisk commemorates those who died in this
explosion and other accidents during the war. It is surrounded by a
chain link fence supported on upright shells. The factory was,
however, soon rebuilt and was almost complete by autumn 1918.

After the end of the war the factory was partly dismantled, but a
number of buildings were retained for use as a military stores
depot. It retained this role throughout the second world war and up
to the present day.

Within the present depot a number of building from the Great War
survive adapted to new uses. On entering the depot along Chetwynd
Road on the north side of the road is alarge single storey building
with stone faced piers (building 125)(SK 5097 3526), on the front
elevation is a carveds tone plaque enscribed `NSFF Chilwell' with
the crossed `C' monograph of Chetwynd of Chilwell in its centre. To
its west, also on the north side of Chetwynd Road is the monument to
those killed in 1918, located on the site of the ammonium nitrate
melt house where the explosion took place. The largest surviving
building is the former shell store (building 157)(SK 506 349) this
is steel framed with brick infilled external walls. Its floor area
covered nearly 9 acres and it could hold upto 600,000 filled shells
and 100,000 empty shells. During the Great War it was served by a
system of overhead cranes, the holes for the guide rails may be seen
in the roof girders. To its north is building 137, the former
medical centre (SK 5070 3525). This is a brick, single storey ten
bay structure with a tall central tower perhaps originally holding a
water tank. A notable feature of this building is a red cross
device picked out in brick on the central tower and end gables.
Also surviving from the factory is along tunnel, with a gated
entrance at its southern end and a set of steps leading down into it
from a circular brick cupola at its northern end (SK 5076 3551). At
the northern end of the factory and at its highest point a level
terrace was created for the Press Houses (where the amatol filling
was pressed into the shells). Although the press Houses have been
demolished this terrace remains and is occupied by a long narrow
building numbered 102.

The most impressive survival from the factory is the former
administrative building and Chetwynd's house, Woodside House
(building 101)(SK5094 3545). This is brick built two storey
structure, with the brick work on the corners laid to represent
ashlar columns, decorative ironwork also survives some using
crossed `C's as a motif, the building is surmounted by clock tower.
The building is now used as the officer's mess. Other smaller
structures and features, such as monographed lamp posts, also
survive but it was not possible to locate all of these during this
brief escorted visit to the depot. (1-1e)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) General reference

Wayne D Cocroft/21-MAY-1997/RCHME: Dangerous Energy Project

(1a) General reference

Haslam M J , 1982 The Chilwell Story VC Factory and Ordnance Depot, Boots Company plc

(1b) General reference

Wallace E, 1919, The Real Shellman, John Waddington pamphlet

(1c) General reference

Anon, c1919, A short history of the National Shell Filling Factory Chilwell, Notts 1915-18

(1d) General reference

Lloyd George D, 1933, War Memoirs, Vol II (596-8)

(1e) General reference

Public Record Office MUN5/154/1122.3/33 Chilwell photograph albums

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