The History of Ruddington Depot
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The Pre-War Site
Ominous events in Europe
Meanwhile in Europe, far away from the tranquil farmland south of Ruddington, ominous events were taking place. The rise of Adolf Hitler to power in 1933, and the subsequent rearmament of Germany, caused a revision of British military and strategic policy which had been followed since 1919. This was based on the assumption that there would be no major war for at least ten years, and that if there was an unexpected outbreak of hostilities it would be necessary to fight only one single nation at a time. From 1935 all the armed services, which had been run down to a very low level, were slowly expanded and modernised. As they did so there was a need for extra ammunition for training and to build up stocks. Whereas civilian engineering firms could manufacture ships, aircraft and tanks under contract, explosives were a different matter. Only the I.C.I. manufactured explosives and the Royal Ordnance Factories [R.O.F.] had the monopoly of making and filling bombs and shells. Stocks grew only very slowly. More filling factories were necessary, and two were planned .
No-one who knew the area in the 1920’s and 1930’s could have imagined that the square mile of typical English countryside, between the village of Ruddington and the parish boundary with Bradmore, would be affected by events in Germany, and the decisions made in London in response to them, but it was so. The peaceful farmland adjacent to the village was under threat from September 1939.
The Story > Chapter 1 > Section 1.04