Welsh Journals

Royal Ordnance Factory, Glascoed Ernest Street On the first of January 1985, R.O.F. Glascoed near Usk lost its original identity when the Government decided to change its title and status to become part of Royal Ordnance PLC. This is a step it seems, towards the 'privatising' of all Government owned industrial resources. It is therefore thought fitting that a brief history of this important South Wales factory during the 45-year era just ended should be put on record. Along with other Government factories, R.O.F. Glascoed was conceived as part of the nation's defence preparedness at the time of the Munich crisis in 1938 when Prime Minister Chamberlain's faith in the German leader Hitler to refrain from war soon became suspect and was seen to be deceptive. The command of these operations was in the hands of the then Ministry of Supply, (MoS) who chose the Glascoed site after due survey of its general and its security suitability along with the climatic characteristics of the area humidity playing an important part in operations concerned with the handling of explosives. The R.O.F. is a Filling Factory, one of several at the time, only two of which have survived since the war. It is a generic term for ammunition production where the explosive content is put into munitions, up to final operation and packing ready for despatch to the Services (Army, Navy, Air Force) be they bullets, shells, bombs or other contrivances of an explosive nature. The design of the factory was conducted at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, where a special team was assembled and followed the general pattern of Woolwich ordnance experience that had evolved through the centuries. Naturally, the essential safety of all production operations was built into plant designs and layout, shop spacings, moundings and magazines, and particularly the lightning protection of finials and catenaries and electrical earthing. The then Ministry of Works were responsible for civil engineering and building design and for placing and controlling the contracts. MoS superintended their plant and machinery contracts along with installation, inspection and testing, together with bringing the whole factory into production, for which it was responsible throughout the 1939- 45 war. Construction started in 1939, the main contractor being John Morgan, Ltd. of Cardiff. As each Section of the factory was completed it went into production use until early in 1942 when it achieved full war-time capacity, employing 13,000 people on three shifts. The 675 Process buildings constituting the 'Danger Area' in great part linked by specially asphalted 'Cleanways' where overshoes have to be worn and all