The History of Ruddington Depot
HomeThe StoryInterviewsPhotographsResources
Wartime Operations
The filling factory
The filling factory consisted of more than 87 buildings,
distributed over more than half a square mile. An inner high security fence,
well inside the perimeter fence, surrounded it. The gate in the inner fence
was manned for 24 hours a day, and the strictest safety and security measures
were enforced. The area was kept free of metal of any kind, and anything liable
to cause a spark was excluded. 
A
team of male bomb fillers who did the heavy manual work on clean side.For
this reason the area inside the inner fence was known as “clean side”.
Much of the equipment used was made of wood, porcelain, perspex or rubber
so that it was inert. The precautions taken were similar to those employed
in operating theatres to ensure that everything in them is sterile, but the
measures taken in the filling factory were to create an environment devoid
of anything, or anyone, who might generate a spark and so cause an explosion.
All the buildings were arranged in a grid formation along the three roads, known as Avenues A, B and C, which crossed the area from east to west, and along the pathways, called cleanways, that intersected them. The Avenues had kerbs made of wooden sleepers, so that heavily laden trucks and trolleys, with thick rubber tyres, would keep a straight course, even at night in the black-out. The cleanways were swept constantly to keep them free from dust and debris. Running was not allowed and walking on the grass forbidden, so that nothing could be picked up on footwear which might strike a spark. All around the cleanways there were pieces of reinforced steel joists (RSJs) with hangers and pipes suspended from them at about head height. This was part of the heating system. For security reasons none of the buildings had a name. They were referred to by a code number and letter, so people thought of themselves as working in B6 or C8 for example.
The buildings in which explosive material was stored and processed were surrounded by substantial blast banks. As a protection against blast from an explosion none of the buildings had any windows, and the heavy doors were always kept shut. The eight largest buildings were situated towards the boundary of the area, just inside the railway track that encircled it. A short loop line connected a loading bay at the rear of each of the eight buildings to the railway track, so that raw materials could be delivered, and finished goods removed, very conveniently. Special small electric locomotives pulled the trucks and wagons around this area.
Some explosives were made on the site from raw materials, others were brought in and stored for use as required. The mixing of ingredients and the filling of bombs and shells took place in separate workshops, known simply as shops.
The Story > Chapter 3 > Section 3.05