The Byley Vickers-Armstrongs Shadow Factory

As early as November 1934, the Air Ministry asked Vickers-Armstrongs to consider moving their Weybridge aircraft production site to avoid the possibility of being targeted during bombing raids. Various sites around the country were looked at and is September 1936, it was decided that Broughton, just over the Welsh border from Chester would be an ideal spot. The site would also to become the location of Hawarden airfield, home of the RAF's No.48 Maintenance Unit from 1st September 1939 to 1st July 1957 and No.3 Ferry Pilots Pool/Ferry Pool, Air Transport Auxillary from 5th November 1940 to 30th November 1945. Construction of the V-A factory and the airfield started in December 1938. The manufacture and supply of parts for the Wellington bombers lay with large supply chain of and sub-contractors based across Cheshire and North Wales, of which one was the Anchor Motor Company Ltd. Established in the 1930's the company had two showrooms in the city centre, but more importantly, it also operated a very extensive machine shop for all aspects of vehicle maintenance and repair work. During WWII, the company made gun turrets for Wellington and Lancaster bombers for V-A Broughton along with tail units and wiring harnesses for the Spitfire built elsewhere.

May 1939 saw the first order for Broughton, this was for 750 Wellingtons and the first of these flew out of Hawarden airfield on 2nd August 1939. Several component assembly plants were set up in towns close to Broughton while a much larger plant was constructed at Cranage (known as Byley due to it's immediate location with the village of the same name). The plant was split into two parts, at the south west corner of the airfield was a flight shed and this was connect to the main assembly sheds via a trackway which ran close to the hedge-line across two fields for about 600 yards to the south. The assembly plant was two joined, large steel framed hangars on top and at each end of which their were towers possibly for anti aircraft and or anti parachute look outs. Components were delivered here and the Wellingtons were assembled following a set of constantly updated drawings at a rate of around two per week. Upon completion each aircraft was towed across the trackway to the flight shed where Quality Control would check everything from engine testing down to the number of stitched per inch in the Irish White Linen (9 to the inch was the minimum requirement). If everything was approved the aircraft was then taken out to the runway and a test flight would be made before the aircraft was returned for any tweaks noted by the pilot and or the Ministry of Aircraft Inspector.

To be continued...