The History of Ruddington Depot
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The Pre-War Site
Why Ruddington?
It was decided that the ten new filling factories which were needed should be widely spread throughout the country. This was to ensure that should one or more be destroyed by enemy action, or even be captured in an invasion, then production of bombs and shells could continue elsewhere. The high risk of explosion, and the devastation that would follow, meant that filling factories could not be sited in urban areas, but filling bombs and shells was very labour intensive. Many of the operations involved had to be carried out manually, so each factory needed to be within travelling distance of large centres of population. Sites adjacent to big conurbations, but on the edge of open country, were the most suitable. A plentiful supply of water was also essential.
The filling factories were designed for continuous production, 24 hours a day and six days a week. There were three shifts a day, so that a large work force had to be transported from home to work, and back again, thrice daily. A train pulling seven passenger coaches could carry up to 500 people, so rail transport was the preferred option. The railway system provided the essential supply network in the First World War, and was destined to do so in the second. Filling factories needed to be very close to a main line railway so that raw materials could be delivered, and finished shells and bombs could be taken out and distributed by rail. A large level site was required as branch lines and sidings had to be taken right into, and around, each filling factory. Heavy goods trains demand very slight gradients, so sloping sites were not suitable. The site chosen in Ruddington met all these criteria. It was situated on the edge of open country but was close to the Leicester Derby Nottingham conurbation. The Great Central Railway line was close by, and a large proportion of the area was quite flat. Gibson’s Dyke and the springs which fed it provided copious amounts of fresh water.
The Ruddington Royal Ordnance Factory was designed to have a total of 6,000 employees when it was fully operational. No less than 2,000 of these were to be accommodated in a hostel to be erected on the site, and it was envisaged that about 800 others would find lodgings in the village of Ruddington. The remaining 3,000 would travel to work daily, most of them by train.
When the plans were complete they were filed away to await events, but the existing population of Ruddington, which at that time numbered about 3,200, had no knowledge of them whatsoever.
The Story > Chapter 1 > Section 1.06