National Aircraft Factory

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The erecting area of the National Aircraft Factory No.2 in late 1918 with de Havilland DH.9s under assembly NAF No.2 1918.jpg
The erecting area of the National Aircraft Factory No.2 in late 1918 with de Havilland DH.9s under assembly

During World War I, the importance of military control of the air became evident. The United Kingdom government therefore sought to significantly increase aircraft manufacturing capacity. In 1917 the Ministry of Munitions, then headed by Winston Churchill, commissioned the construction of National Aircraft Factories to significantly boost the rate and scale of production.

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

United Kingdom Country in Europe

The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of 1915 when there was much newspaper criticism of the shortage of artillery shells. The agency was created by the Munitions of War Act 1915 passed on 2 July 1915. Under the very vigorous leadership of Liberal party politician David Lloyd George, the Ministry in its first year set up a system that fully mobilized Britain's potential for producing a massive outpouring of munitions.

Four factories were commissioned

Waddon Area of Croydon, South London

Waddon is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Croydon, to the west, northwest and southwest of central Croydon. The area borders the London Borough of Sutton.

Croydon town in South London, England

Croydon is a large town in south London, England, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross. The principal settlement in the London Borough of Croydon, it is one of the largest commercial districts outside Central London, with an extensive shopping district and night-time economy.

National Aircraft Factory No. 2 was a World War I UK government owned aircraft factory located at Heaton Chapel, Stockport. It produced over 450 warplanes during 1918/19.

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Airco DH.2 fighter aircraft

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References

  1. ↑ "1st De Havilland 9 produced at National Aircraft Factory No. 1". Flickr . Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Images of National Aircraft Factory No. 3, Aintree" . Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "National Aircraft Factory No.2 Freehold hereditaments [no ref. or date]". The National Archives . Retrieved 7 June 2013.
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