Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 884

MUNITION WORK by READING ENGINEERS.

How the Fighting Forces were Backed Up at Home.

Now that peace is within sight, our thoughts turn to those who enabled this glorious victory to be brought about. Our valiant soldiers, sailors and airmen, splendidly backed up by the nation generally, have been the instrumental cause in right triumphing over might, but their efforts would have borne but little fruit had it not been for the "backing" given them by "munitioneers". Many engineering firms, little known in pre-war days as producers of war material, have since come prominently to the front, and have done their "bit" towards winning the war.

The Pulsometer Engineering Co., Ltd.

Of the firms engaged on munition work there is perhaps no firm in the neighbourhood of Reading that carried out a larger variety than the Pulsometer Engineering Co., Ltd. Its manufactures embraced every service and articles of very wide range and size, from the humble nose bush (for 18 pdr. shells) to powerful presses for squirting cordite.

Taking the Senior Service, the activities of the Company embrace magazine cooling plants for maintaining the high explosives at a safe temperature; signalling apparatus - €”siren and diaphone - whose stertorous voice is so well known in this neighbourhood; also gun metal circulating pumps for submarines and other parts for the same craft. Thousands of mine-sinking devices were also produced (entirely by female labour). Further the Company supplied 50 of their special feed water filters to paddle steamers for Mesopotamia.

For the Army, including the Mechancal Warfare Department, this Company made large numbers of parts for howitzer and Maxim guns, and took a very active part in the production of those saurian mo sters called "Tanks", having made the majority of the circulating pumps for their engines, and thousands of the steel links for the "creeper" on which the Tanks crawl.

In the way of munitions the Company was in 1915 elected local representative of the West of England Munitions Committee, and in [that] capacity inaugurated shell manufacture in the Reading area, the Company itself turning out between 1,000 and 1,200 18 pdr. shells per week, and establishing quite a record for rapid production and high degree of accuracy.

Although the Company did little direct work for the Air Service, it made a number of very special vacuum pumps which were used in connection with the manufacture of "dope", and non-condensing goggles for airmen.

In addition to the active Services, the Company took a very considerable part in equipping munition factories, and in that connection supplied to their own design a number of very powerful hydraulic presses for squirting cordite into thick and thin filaments, resembling fine and large macaroni. They also supplied heavy machines of their own special design for securing correct and even tension of the steel wire in manufacturing wire-wound guns.

Further service to the munition factories was rendered by the Company's well-known drainage pum p called the Stereophagus (which means "Eater of solids") for dealing with unscreened sewage. Pumps for water supply and fire service were also part of the munition factory equipment handled by the Company.

Hospitals, too, found a place in the Company's programme, a special compact form of motor-driven centrifugal pump being used by a number of hospitals for accelerating circulation in the hot-water service.

The Company was also called in on numerous occasions in emergencies when certain urgent component articles could not be obtained elsewhere. For example, in the early days of shell making the Company made a complete set of steel gauges of the highest accuracy for Government use, the gauges having to pass the severe scrutiny of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington. The Company also assisted in producing special machine tools for National and other factories.

In regard to the labour side, the Company was specially badly hit due to the loss of a large number of employees who had to do their share of the fighting; but in strictly repetition work, such as shell-making, admirable substitutes were found in women, who combined large output with high accuracy.

The Pulsometer Engineering Company, in common with many other manufacturing concerns, has been tried to the uttermost, not only with regard to difficulties in securing skilled labour, but in regard to constant changes from one article to another and the consequent reorganisation necessitated. However, the experience, though trying, has been a valuable one and will be of considerable service in returning to civil work.

Allen & Simmonds, Ltd.

Another firm which was engaged on the production of war material is Messrs. Allen & Simmonds, Ltd., whose works are close to the river Thames and known as the Thames Side Engineering Works. Previous to the outbreak of war this firm had been manufacturing the "Allen" patent specialities, viz., frictionless pistons, piston valves, rod packings, etc., which specialities were in great use and well known in the engine world throughout the United Kingdom, both for land and marine work. Messrs. Allen and Simmonds, Ltd., have been engaged principally upon aircraft engine parts and machine gun mountings for aeroplanes since the early part of the war, also marine engine parts for transport, shipping, etc. The managing director of the firm , Mr. Robert Allen, has devoted nearly the whole of his time towards devising, designing and perfecting various parts of engines and gun mountings, several of his patents having been standardised throughout the Air Force. The firm employs approximately 600 hands, 150 of these being female workers and 100 discharged soldiers or sailors.

Dealing with the engine side first, the firm's contribution to the war output includes 73,851 aluminium pistons for the latest types of aero-engine, 56,484 gudgeon pins for the aforementioned pistons, 3,000 cylinder heads, 2,000 cylinders, 153,891 piston rings for the leading types of aircraft engines, 78,195 obturator and securing rings, and thousands of small engine parts, including: connecting rod bushes, tappet rollers, exhaust valves, exhaust valve bushes, exhaust valve rollers, tappet guides, bearer bars, slinging irons, crankshaft coupling stops, safety plates for inlet valves, locking screws, gudgeon pin bushes, gudgeon pin bush screws, propeller boss extractor screw locking plates, centralizing plates, baffle plates, breather pipes, breather pipe flanges and strainers, wire stiffening deflector bag s, deflector vice jaws, bevel star pinions, etc.

In connection with the machine gun mounting section, the firm have been engaged on the manufacture of the five principal types in use, the output of the firm amounting to 6,500 mountings. They have also been mainly responsible for the manufacture of instructional tripods, whilst Mr. Allen'€™s patents have been used to considerable advantage on three types of the mountings in question. Mr. Allen also designed and patented an improved yoke for Lewis Gun mountings, and the firm have manufactured no less than 10,000 of these "A. and S." Lewis Gun yokes, at a considerable saving of material and expense.

Mr. Allen was asked to concentrate his efforts on some special gun mountings for aircraft defence against Zeppelin craft, and the firm turned out two or three special types of mounting for this purpose. A further patent was taken out by Mr. Allen for improvements in Lewis Gun, which improvements have been admitted to be of great importance; in fact, as before mentioned, considerable use has been made of Mr. Allen's patents, resulting in economy in production and making a considerable saving in expenditure for the country.

Other articles manufactured by the firm include aerial targets, towing targets, stamping machines, etc. The firm is particularly well equipped for the bulk production of pistons, piston rings, gudgeon pins, and any high class engineering work, particularly of a medium size, also heat treatment and case hardening. The works are equipped with the latest types of machines, the equipment including automatic piston ring lathes, capstan and turret lathes, and broaching machines. The piston rings manufactured by the firm are evolved on the latest and most scientific methods, the stressing of same being carried out under a patented idea of Mr. Allen's. The latest types of grinding machines are very largely employed in finishing this work, and the results are particularly satisfactory.

Of course this firm's original specialities have been supplied for special marine engine work in connection with transports, etc., but the main efforts of the firm have been devoted purely to aircraft war work. During the last six months Messrs. Allen and Simmonds have acquired the engineering premises lately known as the Railway Foundry, Vastern Road, Reading, also the premises attached to the British Automobile Garage in Caversham Road, Reading. It was first intended to use the last mentioned premises for a stores and aluminium foundry, but as soon as the premises and plant are available the found y work will be carried out at the Railway Foundry in Vastern Road.

Brinjes & Goodwin.

The work done by Messrs. Brinjes and Goodwin, of Caversham Road, was of a very varied character. Some of the items were of special interest, as for instance the machines for renovating 18 pounder cartridge cases which were made there, and which, as the Minister of Munitions said, saved many thousands of pounds per day. They made special cordite mills and other mills for grinding high explosives, and a quantity of special presses for use in connection with ammunition manufacture; also a large quantity of gun parts and attachments for Vickers, Lewis and other guns. This firm also made a number of special lathes for the economical production of Stokes bombs, and a great number of machines for the production of optical instruments. They w ere also engaged in the manufacture of large searchlights. While a number of the firm'€™s employees left to join the Colours, only one, Sidney Christian, was called upon to make the great sacrifice.