The History of Ruddington Depot
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Wartime Operations
Contracting work out
Repairs and maintenance of buildings, vehicles and equipment were carried out on site. Maintenance staff, some of whom were resident, were employed as general labourers or craftsmen, such as plumbers, electricians, motor mechanics, and so on. They had appropriate workshops and stores, but it would have been too dangerous to have had a smithy on site. When repairs were needed to articles made of steel, or if metal parts needed replacement, the work was contracted out.
Oliver Blood was in his late teens, and working as a blacksmith in his father’s smithy on The Green in Ruddington.
“I used to make rings of 1 inch steel that were between 3 and 4 inches in diameter. I believe they were used on the chains of the cranes that lifted the bombs.”
The rings slipped down the chain, and were hooked onto lugs on the bomb cases. As they weighed 1000lbs, the rings took a lot of strain and needed regular replacement. Chisels and other tools were sharpened under contract at the smithy on the Green. This was another operation likely to produce sparks and so too dangerous to carry out on site.
The Horspool Family who ran the bakery in Church Street, baked bread on the site, under contract, for the canteens. Apart from this, the businesses in the area had no contact with the operations carried out on the site.
The Story > Chapter 3 > Section 3.15