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A history of the Royal Navy Propellant Factory, Caerwent
The Royal Naval Propellant Factory always remained something of a mystery. The man in the street could understand the meaning of shells, bombs, explosives etc., but the word "propellant" was confusing. It is not surprising that occasionally the establishment was referred to as the Royal Navy Repellent Factory or even the Royal Navy Propeller Factory. The extreme misrepresentation came when a letter was sent to a former female employee, addressed RNPF Convent, and began "Dear Mother Superior". In the first months of the First World War the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, insisted on the necessity of the Royal Navy having its own independent supply of propellant. Conflicts at sea required greater accuracy and uniformity of ballistics than on land. This could best be achieved by a specialist factory devoted to manufacturing a higher grade propellant solely for the Navy. Production of solvent based propellants began for the Royal Naval Cordite Factory at Holton Heath, Dorset in 1915. Considerable advances were made at the establishment in the development and production of various types of explosives. After 1918 many ordnance factories were closed, but the Admiralty established the Naval Ordnance Inspection Laboratory at Holton Heath in 1919, to develop new products and perfect the manufacturing techniques. This work led to new types of Solventless Cordite ("SC") and its variants which had certain advantages over the older products. They were easier to manufacture, did not use acetone, had better uniform ballistic characteristics, and contained Centralite (or Carbamite) as a stabiliser - giving the propellant a far longer service life. In 1920 Britain's annual defence budget was £292,000,000, and by 1932 had been reduced to an inter-war low of £103,000,000. The 1930s had begun with great political optimism, however within a few short years the situation would change dramatically. The decay in international diplomatic relations, culminating in an act of aggression by Japan in occupying Manchuria and withdrawing from the League of Nations. Then Germany, following its lack of success in obtaining any agreement at the World Disarmament Conference in 1933, also withdrew from the League. In open defiance of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler started a programme of rearmament of Germany. Within three years it had militarised the Rheinland, then in 1938 forced the Anchluss Union with Austria. In 1935 Italy invaded Abyssinia, to try and establish a North African empire. Britain and France both had neighbouring territories and were greatly worried by Italian aggression. Their main supply lines passed through the British controlled Suez Canal. It was with this background of international tension that Britain began to reassess its munitions requirements as the possibility of a global conflict once again seemed an inevitable outcome. The cordite factory at Holton Heath could produce a maximum of 156 tons of cordite per week. The Chief Superintendent of Supply, H.J. Burnett-Hall needed a second factory, capable of producing an extra 150 tons per week. In the summer of 1936 the site requirements for a new factory were drawn up. The main priorities were that the establishment should not be vulnerable to air attack; it should not be located in an industrial area, but sufficiently close to a populated area to eventually be able to provide an adequate workforce; the site should be reasonably close to a railway and to a main road; it should be located on rough grassland with a gravel on sand subsoil with good natural drainage and a slope of about 1 in 30 to provide maximum safety in the highly dangerous nitroglycerine manufacturing and handling areas. The higher part should not have an elevation of not less than 100 ft. above the lowest part to limit the internal gradients. A capacious supply of water was also required for use in the manufacturing processes (to manufacture 150 tons of cordite per week the factory would need 3,000,000 gallons of drinking standard water per day). During the critical time before the Munich crisis there were suggestions that the site should be built as two independent factories and space the individual buildings further apart to reduce the potential damage and safeguarding production in the event of an aerial attack. Also, by concentrating on one smaller unit immediately, production could begin earlier. The commencement of war in September 1939 hastened the decision to build a second unit. The earlier requirement for 500 acres of land soon quadrupled to 2,000 acres. In August 1937, four potential sites had been identified - two in Gloucestershire, Aust (later to be the location of the Severn Bridge, the toll booths and motorway service facility) and Berkley (a short distance upstream of the Aust site). The two other proposed sites were near St. Clears, Carmarthenshire. All four sites were rejected, due to the difficulty in obtaining an adequate supply of suitable water. So the search continued, and in September 1937 a second shortlist of sites had identified Caerwent, Momnouthshire; Cowbridge, Glamorganshire; Laugharne, Carmarthenshire; and Johnston, Pembrokeshire. Again there were problems with the water supply. However, in discussions with the Great Western Railway it was pointed out that in October 1879, during construction of the Severn Tunnel, workmen accidentally tapped a fissure in the rock between Sudbrook camp and Portskewett village. All of the local underground channels poured their water into the tunnel, and within a short space of time almost every well, spring and stream for about 5 miles from the tunnel became dry. The GWR pumped out over 9 million gallons of water per day at Sudbrook at the northern end of the Severn Tunnel, conveniently located only three miles away from the proposed site at Caerwent. Even during the great drought of 1934 the lowest daily return was 9,112,00 gallons. The GWR used about 1.5 million gallons per day for routine locomotive work, so there was always a guaranteed daily surplus of 7.5 million gallons. After careful consideration of all potential sites it was decided that Caerwent was the best location for the factory. In November 1937, after Cabinet approval, the machinery was put into motion to secure the land by compulsory purchase. On December 8th 1938 the Admiralty announced that they "have decided to proceed withoutfurther delay to construct a munitions works at Caerwent". The total area acquired was 1,580 acres (639.38 hectares) of land, a total of 1,163 acres were enclosed within the factory fence. The site is situated north of the A48 Gloucester - Cardiff main road 4 miles west of Chepstow and 12 miles east of Newport. It is about 2 miles east-west, and 1.5 miles north-south. It was, and indeed still is, one of the largest military sites in Britain. This area had previously consisted of rented smallholdings, owned by Monmouthshire County Council. There was a small farm at Dinham and one large farm at Lower Llanmelin. A number of the occupiers of the smallholdings were elderly, and when given notice to quit, went into retirement. Most of the land of Lower Llanmelin farm became Admiralty property and part of the factory, but the farmhouse lies outside the factory fence and was leased back to the farmer who continued to tend his land. In the summer of 1939 the first surveys and marking out of the land had begun. At this new site the Navy wished to change from their standard 2'6" narrow gauge railway systems that were a common feature of Royal Navy factories and adopt a modem comprehensive road transport system. It would have to be worked out at an early stage, and be one of the first of the civil engineering works to be started. Eventually over 29 miles of roadway was laid down to serve the vast number of buildings within the establishment. These roads were of tar macadam, and varied in width from ten feet to 20 feet. There was a need for a new single-line standard gauge rail line to be constructed to link the factory to the London to Fishguard main lines at Portskewett 2 miles to the south, and then on to the GWR marshalling yards at Sevem Tunnel Junction. Two minor roads would have to be crossed, plus a long-span bridge over the main Chepstow to Newport main road. A small marshalling yard of 10 tracks, each about 200 yards long were laid out in the south-east corner of the establishment, within the secure factory fence. The GWR would bring in the rolling stock as far as these yards. From this point they would be shunted all over the site by the RNPF tank engines. The main contract for the building work was awarded in September 1939 to Robert McAlpine & Sons. Due to the tense international political climate, within a matter of only a few hours of signing the contract (and with no agreed final costings) the first heavy construction machinery had arrived on site. Work continued with a sense of increasing urgency, and a total workforce of some 3,500 were employed in the construction. McAlpine purchased and erected wooden huts from a Butlin & Warner holiday camp to house the building labourers. The urgent need to complete the factory meant that the Director of Navy Contracts granted permission to dispense with any need for competitive tenders for machinery and plant provided that valuable construction time would be saved. The only known fatality at the factory occurred during the time of construction. To the north of the factory is a point known as the "broken bridge". This road crossing was a part of the internal roadway system. The flyover bridge had very low headroom, and one day a worker was riding on the back of one of the flatbed trucks, and stood up just as the truck went underneath this bridge. The poor unfortunate worker was decapitated. As a result of this accident the bridge was demolished. Locals believe that this part of the site is haunted by the ghost of the headless workman. In late 1940 and the early months of 1941 there was a steady transfer of staff from Holton Heath to Caerwent. During this period the Admiralty completed work on the pumping station adjacent to the GWR site at Sudbrook and a 20" pipeline, to provide the water supply for the new factory at the rate of 175,000 gallons per hour. By the end of 1940 the Main Office block was complete, and in December of that year the Unit 1 Sulphuric Acid Factory went into production, and so acid mixing for the Nitrocellulose and Nitroglycerine manufacturing began. Five months later, the Pressure Oxidation Plant for the manufacture of Nitric Acid came on stream. In August 1941 the Nitrocellulose and Nitroglycerine plants were operational and were soon working 24 hours a day on a three-shift pattern. At the same time, Unit 2 of the factory was almost completed, so RNPF Caerwent was now virtually operational. A total of £4.7 million had been spent on buildings and roads, and £2.5 million on plant and equipment. The main perimeter fence is 7.5 miles long, of 8 feet high steel pallisading, and topped with three strands of barbed wire. At each change of direction, a bastion is set into the angle, to enable the perimeter to be protected during close-quarter attack. A similar fence divided the two factory units. There were three main road entrances to the establishment, a main rail entrance, and three "farmer's gates" on the northern fence, plus one small entrance on the western fence. Two of the road entrances were seldom used, the workforce used the gate located opposite the village of Caerwent. Both of the main factory units were subdivided into smaller units by wire mesh fences. These were not intended to be a physical barrier, but indicated a visible limit to the where special danger area rules and regulations applied. Access to these areas was through gates that were manned by searchers, authorised to check any individuals, entering or leaving, for contraband. The staff changing rooms and clocking stations were located near the entry points. Close to the main entrance, near the bus parking area - but outside perimeter fence - is an "air raid shelter farm". This collection of surface shelters was built to afford protection to the workers in the event of an air raid during shift changeover, when up to 2,000 people were entering or leaving the factory. This area was also planned to accommodate a passenger railway station for the workforce. However, legislation for the conveyance of passengers would have demanded much higher standards than for carrying freight. The chairs supporting the rails would need to be upgraded, a system of signals established etc. Consequently the scheme was scaled-down and the passenger facilities were never completed, so these shelters were never used. Mounds or traverses were erected around the Danger Buildings to prevent explosive blasts from travelling horizontally to nearby buildings. However, the isolated sites of the explosives factories and the regularly shaped earthworks - always characteristic of an explosives factory - must have presented a very considerable aerial camouflage problem. Under the guidance of an army camouflage expert, a partial solution was to paint all of the buildings in strips of black, green and buff to break up the rectangular lines. Time has now taken its toll on the paint work and the rain has washed away all traces, except for fragmentary remains on a wall of a building that faces its neighbour only about five feet away. This wall would have been impossible to observe from above, but the orders probably were to paint all external walls - so all of the external walls were painted! Caerwent is a reasonably level site and has gently sloping hills to the north, which were suitable for the nitroglycerine plant. It was the usual practice to place the NG plant on a slope so that the highly volatile liquid could flow gently in lead gutters from one process to the next under the influence of gravity, along lead-lined gutters (NG factories are often built on rising ground in order to provide a fall from one process to the next. Reference is often made to "NG hills", and workers in NG factories are known as 'Hillmen'). Any explosive material entering or leaving the factory was taken to on of two transfer sheds. During unloading the locomotive was uncoupled, and the trucks pulled into the shed by electric capstan. Material would then be unloaded by overhead crane and dispersed to surface holding areas or storage sheds.
Acid Factories Raw sulphur was trucked out of the store, into the weighing room and into steam heated melters. The molten sulphur was then pumped to vertical burners, the refractors. It was then filtered in a medium of silica brick and a catalyst of vanadium pentoxide. The filter converted most of the sulphur dioxide into sulphur trioxide, and the catalyst converted the remaining sulphur dioxide. The acid factories are situated at two localised high point in the factory. Nitric Acid was made by the action of heat on a mixture of sulphuric acid and sodium nitrate. contained in two stainless steel storage tanks each capable of holding 34 tons of 60% acid. Acids were then moved to the Concentration Plants. The function of these plants was to concentrate the total output of 60% nitric acid to concentrated nitric acid by extractive distillation, using steam heated still columns, fed with concentrated sulphuric acid. After processing the purity rose from 60% to 96%. It should be noted that acid in is pure, or concentrated state is not as corrosive as acid that is dilute. The acids were then stored in the acid "tank farm", of 7 mild steel tanks, each capable of storing 200 tons of bulk liquid. Each tank was on a brick plinth, in a brick-lined cylindrical compound. As a precaution against damage or leakage, the whole acid farm was surrounded by an earth traverse. The working conditions in the acids factories were - to say the very least - unpleasant. The huge double-doors of the plants were always left open, even in the depths of winter, probably because the cold was preferable to the noxious gases given off by the manufacturing process. There was also a great deal of noise emitted by the massive fans that drew the mixed gasses over the catalyst. Unusually high numbers of workers in the acid factories suffered from early loss of their teeth, probably as a result of breathing in the sulphur dioxide fumes. However, at Holton Heath there were compensations - due to trace elements of arsenic compounds in iron pyrites the workers had beautiful complexions!
Nitrocellulose Plants
The nitrocellulose used in Naval propellant was manufactured from pure cellulose received in the form of paper reels. The doorway to the connecting corridor to the next stage in the process formed the point of demarcation between the clean floor of the Paper Preparation Room and the acid floor of the Nitrating House. Here, as in all parts of the factory, all acid floors and walls exposed to acid fumes were made of Accrington Nori brick. At the Nitrating House they were placed in groups of four, each group being known as a "Pan", and further bundled into groups of 4 Pans, making a "Set". Therefore there were 16 Scrolls of paper in a Set. There were 10 Sets in the room, making a total of 2,000 lb. of Nitro-cellulose being prepared at any one time. The Scrolls were dipped in mixture of 63% Sulphuric Acid, 22% Nitric Acid and 15% water. After dipping the paper was left to soak for a further 2½ hours. Fume extraction hoods covered the pans during the dipping operation, but were removed after a top seal of water had been distributed over the surface of the acid. Then the spent acids were displaced by the action of pumping water in to the pans. These acids were run along gutters and into denitration towers for further processing. The Scrolls were then moved by hand-propelled trucks to the Vat House. The 2,000 lbs of material prepared in the Nitrating House filled one vat. Each vat was 9'6" in diameter and 7'6" high, made of wood, barrel fashion with constricting iron bands, and were lined with antimonial lead. There are 28 openings in the floor, therefore, during periods of maximum production, there was storage space for a total capacity for 56,000 lbs of Nitro-cellulose in this particular room. The contents of the vats were boiled by the application of steam heating. The sequence consisted of two 12 hour boils, followed by four 4 hour boils, and finally a 1 hour boil. After cooling the liquid was drained off, the Scrolls unloaded and moved to the final stage at the Pulping & Blending House. In this final room the process machinery included 7 beaters, 6 potchers, 4 blenders (with grit extractors), and hydroextractors. The beaters were cast iron sloping troughs, about 16 ft long. Rolls of paper from the vat house were pulped, in water, by a 4.6 ton roller driven at 180 r.p.m. for 4 hours. The resulting nitrocellulose pulp was pumped away through a 4" valve. Water soluble impurities and light insoluble material were removed bv the Potchers, essentially large centrifugal separators, supported on stilts. These 11 ft diameter, shallow conical, tile lined vessels could handle two beater loads of material at a time. Washing was carried out by skimming off the excess water from the top of the material after settling, utilising a skimmer supported by a ball float. The blending tanks were tile lined with pump injection circulation, and could handle 5 vat loads in pulp form. The pulp slurry needed to be diluted before passing on to the grit extractors. Capable of handling 500 lb., the centrifugal hydroextractors were used for wringing the nitrocellulose.
Nitroglycerine Factories During their time of occupation the US forces bulldozed the area and built their munitions stores on the site of the NG factories. This would have been a highly dangerous operation. Nitroglycerine is a highly volatile substance, once made it does not break down to its constituent parts. Therefore any spillage or trace elements on the ground could have disastrous consequences if disturbed. As a result of the US construction, today there are almost no remains of the two plants. Each of the NG factories had Charge Houses, Nitration Houses, Wash Houses, Wash Water Settling Houses, and Paste Mixing & Sheeting Houses. None of these buildings survive, However, what traces do remain reveal very interesting clues to the methods employed at this point. Because of the volatile nature of the substance it was always standard practice in NG factories to use gravity to move the liquid from one part of the process to the next, with gently sloping lead-lined canvas covered gutters. In 1931 at Holton Heath a minor explosion in a NG soaked gutter spread to the adjacent production houses and resulted in the deaths of ten NG Hillmen. At Caerwent the use of NG guttering was minimised, but were still used for passing the material to the wash houses and for carrying away wash waters to the settling house. Rubber wheeled trolleys would be pushed by hand along grooved asphalt runways. Although not a new idea (the same principle had been employed at Holton Heath for many years) efficiency at Caerwent could be improved by allowing two trolleys to pass by using a passing loop between the process buildings. As far as can be ascertained, the one surviving example at the north-east corner of the US magazine complex is the only one in existence in any explosives factory world-wide Asphalt used at this point was a hard wearing acid resistant gritless type and was the same as that used for the floors of explosives magazines and any other buildings where there was a possibility that acid may reach the floor. The asphalt was prepared in sterile conditions offsite. Arrangements for the supply included that the material was to be packed in strong closeboarded cases to avoid the risk of any contact of grit during transit. In the official document to contractors that set out the specifications for construction, the section dealing with the laying down of the asphalt stated that "All the workmen and supervising staff of the sub-contractor employed on the site in connection with the laying of the asphalt must be British subjects by birth and skilled in this class of work. Neutralised British subjects are not to be employed on this work." A similar document, outlining general specifications insisted that "All materials are to be of British or Empire origin and manufacture unless otherwise specified, and are to conform to British Standard Specifications current at date of tendering where such are available."
Cordite Sections However, this was a time of great advances in cordite development and production, and in 1939 the Armament Research Department introduced Picrite (nitroguanidine) into cordite, in an attempt to reduce flash temperatures and barrel wear. Picrite is a major component of flashless cordite and produces massive quantities of nitrogen when the propellant bums and this reaction has the effect of reducing barrel wear and muzzle flash. Further developments at Caerwent resulted in this product being used exclusively as the type of flashless gun propellant by the Royal Navy. In an attempt to further reduce barrel wear it was decided to add petroleum jelly to the Picrite. The theory was that it would lubricate the interior as the projectile drew the vapours up the barrel. Unfortunately the additive was instantly vaporised when the charge ignited. But all was not lost. because the extra ingredient further reduced the flash temperature of the cordite charge without affecting the propulsive properties, so indirectly having the desired effect of reducing barrel wear. Following the cessation of war with Germany production fell to 70 tons of Solventless Cordite per week, and by the end of 1945, after the ending of the conflict in the Far East, it dropped down to 17.5 tons per week. During 1953 parts of the Cordite factories were converted for extrusion of propellant for Guided Weapons booster motors. In 1955 experimental work began on the propellant for the "Gosling" motors for the "Seaslug" missile system. Caerwent also manufactured the "Magpie" motors for the "Firestreak" air-to-air missile and the "Linnet" charges for "Red Top". Limited experimental work was also carried out on the "Sealyham" rocket motors.
Tetryl Section Tetryl is a pale yellow crystalline material which was first prepared in 1877. Its use as an explosive dates from the early years of the twentieth century and it has been widely used since the time of the Great War as an intermediary, or 'booster', between the detonator and the main explosive charge in shells and in bombs. Tetryl is known by chemists as 2,4,6 Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine, but in military parlance it becomes Composition Exploding or even more succinctly, CE.
Laboratories The Main Laboratory was equipped for general chemical analysis and would oversee and control the composition of the propellant. It tested the raw materials for propellant, such as glycerine, paper, acetone etc. It also tested various products used in other support facilities at the factory, such as coal, rubber, oils, clothing etc. From time to time these laboratories would take samples of air in the workplaces, drinking water and effluent, to ensure that they conformed to hygienic and legal requirements.Experimental work was often undertaken, to devise new products and to improve products and manufacturing processes. The Main Laboratory also carried out some investigation for other establislunents, such as testing of fireproof clothing, checking effluents from shell cleansing plants, identification of moulds, dusts etc. This valuable work came in from all over the world. The Acids Laboratory was responsible for analysing acids at different stages of production and mixing. It also controlled all of the acid plants and would oversee the compositions of mixed acids used for nitrating glycerine and cellulose. Samples of Nitrocellulose were also analysed at the Acids Laboratory. The Physics Laboratory carried out routine work such as inspection of the calorific value, dimensional measurements and density of cordite, the reflective index of glycerine (this test would ensure its suitability for nitration), inspection of transformer oils etc. Later all test firings of the rocket motors developed at Caerwent were under the control of the Physics Laboratory. As a part of the Naval Ordnance Inspection Department, the complex of laboratories at RNPF Caerwent became the centre for all scientific work dealing with the inspection of all explosives manufactured for the Royal Navy. In 1996 material came to light that suggested a section at the extreme north of the establishment had been used by Whittle for early jet engine experiments. While the location would have been secure and convenient for the Gloucester based company, the idea of testing such a piece of equipment in an explosives factory was approached with some degree of scepticism. Field investigation of the site in question, and a search through the surviving installation drawings in the administration buildings revealed the actual purpose of the structures. The reinforced concrete three-walled, open ended structure, close to the 'burning ground' was part of the Guided Weapons Scheme and was in fact the static firing test bed for the rocket motors. Torpedo netting covered the roof, as a precaution against accidental explosion. A subsequent conversation with Mr. Charles W. Alexander - the former Chief Scientific Officer - confirmed this, and he produced photographs of a test firing of a Gosling motor. Comprehensive First Aid facilities were distributed throughout the establishment, the factory also had a ten bed hospital, with facilities for performing emergency operations, staffed by a part-time Medical Officer, a matron and two sisters. A dentist would attend once a week, to extract teeth during working hours. In September 1940 troops from the 5th Battalion, South Wales Borderers were posted to guard the factory. The function of the guard was to prevent sabotage and deal locally with enemy attack, pending the arrival of other troops to be stationed in the district. The antiaircraft protection was pathetically weak, being one Hotchiss and one Lewis gun. At the end of the same year the 20th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery set up camp, constructing 8 gun positions for 40mm Bofors guns. But the full compliment never arrived, and only 4 sites were ever manned. The following year 'D' Company of the 1st Monmouthshire Battalion Home Guard was formed. This unit had a full-time Commanding Officer and a camp consisting of a number of huts, later to become stores. The military guard were gradually withdrawn and the Home Guard became responsible for defence of the establishment. Shortly after the 131 st Monmouthshire Home Guard Light Anti-Aircraft Battery was formed from factory personnel. They became responsible for the anti-aircraft defences during daylight hours. The Battery had a Battery Office and a small camp - including a licensed bar. There were 16 gun positions within the factory, with one 20mm Hispano gun and a Lewis gun at each position. At night strict blackout conditions were observed. The workforce put great faith in a night-time decoy site situated 3 miles to the north of the factory at Coed Llifos. Although there were no organised enemy raids against the factory some 15 to 20 incendiary bombs were dropped on a few occasions during 1940 and 194 1. These only caused minor damage, with no injuries to personnel. Interestingly the only serious damage caused was from one of the factories own anti aircraft battery. Shells failed to explode in the air and came back down and hit a corner of one of the buildings in Unit 1. Scattered about the factory are 75 air raid shelters, each capable of accommodating between 40 and 50 persons. These earth covered shelters with diametrically opposed entrances are fabricated of brick and concrete horseshoe shaped cross-section sections. All had water and electricity supply and at least one Elsan lavatory. Several of these shelters still have the seating rails, and almost all still have the original raised duck boarding on the floor. Many key factory buildings had specially strengthened rooms for protection of workers during air raids. The First Aid and Decontamination Buildings, one in each factory unit, were large buildings intended for the treatment of gas contaminated casualties. They were divided down the middle into two identical halves, intended for men and women. The discharge room was common to both. Each side provided for a separate cleansing section for walking and stretcher casualties, leading into a common first aid room. This section was ventilated by filtered air. There were also four Gas Defence Stations, built as operational bases and stores for gas decontamination parties. Equipped only for cleansing, there were no first aid rooms, and no provision for separation of sexes. After the war maintenance of passive defence systems was run down, but was revived in the 1950's and a small Industrial Civil Defence Unit was established. By this time the emphasis was not on gas decontamination, as it had been superseded by the need for fallout decontamination. A limited amount of training was carried out during working hours and there were links with the Regional Civil Defence Headquarters based at Cardiff. Early in the 1960's a parliamentary working party recommended that propellants for the three branches of the armed services should be concentrated at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Bishopton. The decision to close RNPF Caerwent was announced on the 25th of March 1965. Production continued during the following two year rundown phase, and so ended the period when the Royal Navy had exclusive control over its propellant manufacture and had built up a reputation that was second-to-none for quality and safety standards. Buildings used for the production, proving and handling of explosives were thoroughly cleaned, then "sterilised" with flame guns. Many buildings that were known to have been impregnated with explosive material were burnt out by building large wood and oil fires inside them. Contaminated buildings made of wood were simply set alight. By the end of June 1968, all decontamination of buildings and machinery had been completed. During the rundown period some attempts were made to try and attract industry to Caerwent, with little success. In 1967 President Charles DeGaulle invited NATO forces to leave France as his country had decided to withdraw from the military structure of NATO. The US Army, on the lookout for new homes was offered Caerwent as one of the ten sites in the UK they eventually came to occupy. On the 22nd of November it was announced that the site would be made available for the storage of conventional ammunition by the United States Army's 47th Area Support Group Reserve Storage Activity, supported by a Royal Air Force Liaison Party. The US Army spent over £4 million constructing 300 magazines and converting some of the former RNPF structures to conform to the required specification. The material stored included small arms ammunition, artillery shells (up to 8"), anti-tank mines, grenades, flares and multiple-launch rocket systems. At its height Caerwent was the largest ammunition supply depot in Western Europe, storing over 80,000 tonnes of conventional munitions. In 1990 RSA Caerwent shipped 12,000 tons of ammunition to the Middle East and played a critical part in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Following the change in the political climate in Europe and subsequent scaling down of operations, the US Army announced it was to close down their storage operations at the establishment in June 1992. Over 60,000 tonnes of munitions was moved out over a period of less than ten months, and completed their clearout two weeks ahead of schedule. The last batch was removed by train on the 19th of July 1993. The formal closure ceremony took place on the 20th of August 1993, ending another chapter in Caerwent's history. The site has recently been used for military training and public order training by various police forces. A few local farmers are allowed to graze their livestock on the convenient areas of pasture that separate the former factory buildings. A beneficial side effect of the semi-dormant state of the establishment is that the wildlife is now thriving. Specialists have recorded 30 species of fungi, 24 species of butterflies, 70 species of birds and 20 species of mammals. From the time the US forces left, the future of the factory was in doubt. It was even suggested that the site could be used to accommodate 4,000 houses - a massive private investment. But local opposition meant that the idea had to be revised. In the Autumn of 1997 its future was finally decided. RNPF Caerwent is to be used for "Backdoor" training by the army regiments based in Wales.
During its years of production, the RNPF never once failed to supply the Royal Navy with its propellant requirements. In 1942, at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, the workforce even managed to increase production from 150 to 250 tons of cordite per week. In 26 years of manufacturing propellant and 25 years of munitions storage there were no incidents of major injury of any description, a safety record that is second to none. It was, without doubt, the most dangerous place of work in Wales. The extremely low accident,rate at the site underlines how a large number of people could work together, and the routine efficiency was a textbook example of team work.
Acknowledgements Firstly, 1 must extend my heartfelt thanks to Mr. C.W. Alexander, who worked at Holton Heath from 1928 until he was transferred to Caerwent in 1940, and subsequently became the Chief Scientific Officer, and was employed as such until closure in the late 1960's. Mrs. J. Moulton, the former secretary to the Commanding Officer has also been an invaluable source for material relating to the time of US Army occupation. Mr. W.D. Cocroft of the Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments of England was of great assistance during the early stage of my research and interpretation of the factory buildings, and also pointed me in the direction of further research material. The constant assistance and encouragement from the officers of the Defence Land Agents based at Brecon and the security staff at Caerwent have always been deeply appreciated, and they have always allowed access to this magnificent site, often at very short notice. Last, but not by any means the least, the staff and team of volunteers from the Defence of Britain Project.
Bibliography Bowditch M.R: Cordite - Poole, A Short Account of the Royal Naval Cordite Factory: 1983. Bowditch, M.R. & Hayward, L: A Pictorial Record of the Royal Naval Cordite Factory Holton Heath: Final Publishing: 1996. Civil Engineer-in-Chief, Admiralty: Royal Naval Propellant Factory, Caerwent, Monmouthshire; Constructional and Building Contracts, Standard Specification for Constructional Works; 1939. Miller, Squadron Leader C.W.S: A History of RAF Caerwent - unpublished paper; 1978. Monmouth Borough Council & Ministry of Defence: RAF Caerwent Redevelopment (Stage 1) Feasibility Study; Veryards Ltd. Consulting Engineers; October 1994. Royal Air Force Caerwent: Reserve Storage Activity Caerwent, Formal Closure Order of Ceremony. Department of the Civil Engineer-in-Chief, Admiralty, 1948: Standard Specification for the Construction of Buildings and Ancillary Works and R.N. Air Station Buildings, Camps and Ancillary Works. Smith, Glyn: Unpublished dissertation in Cultural Studies: 1995. Walker, Thomas A.: The Sevem Tunnel, Its Construction and Difficulties 1872 - 1887; Kingsmead Reprints; 1969.
This document is ©1997, Medwyn Parry
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