Cordite factory model moves to new
home |
Nov 2004 | |
 Specialist removers Maidman's moved the famous
former Royal Naval Cordite Factory to a new home - using just one
lorry.
The factory in question was a scale model of the
original wartime unit at Holton Heath, near Wareham, and was split
into 10 sections, each around 2m long, 1.2m wide and 10cm tall.
The detailed model, which was created back in 1942 by Reg
Hucklesby, a joiner at the factory, was taken to the Museum of Naval
Firepower, near Gosport. No home could be found for it in the
Purbecks.
Paul Cox of Maidman's said: "We had to take great
care, as it was a long-standing model, mostly made of wood, so it
was quite delicate. We built a false floor on the lorry to help
protect the sections."
Cordite was manufactured at Holton
Heath during both world wars for the Royal Navy. Two decoy factories
were built nearby to fool enemy bombers, and waste cordite and oil
was set alight to make them think they had hit their target.
The factory was constructed at the beginning of World War
One on the orders of Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the
Admiralty. It stopped making cordite in 1959 and was used for
defence research until 1997,
and the land was finally sold for
development in 2003. | |
