St Edmundsbury Local History - Local Gallery of WW1 items

Selection of shells produced in East Anglia

The Great War of 1914 to 1918
Picture Gallery of
Bury St Edmunds and surrounds
The East Anglian Munitions Committee

Picture Page 1 - The text of the Short Report

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Front cover of Munitions Committee Report by Sir Wilfrid Stokes KBE
Munitions Committee Report Frontispiece
Page 3 - Members of the Committee

Pages 4 and 5 - The first meeting at Liverpool Street.
Pages 6 and 7 - First contract for 18 pdr shells taken and Executive Committee appointed.
Pages 8 and 9 - Depot set up at Ipswich and contract for 4.5 inch shells.

Pages 10 and 11 - Special tools made and more contracts for shells. Crittall's reduced their price for 18 pdrs.
Pages 12 and 13 - Shrapnel , fuses, base plates etc also produced. Depot extended to cope.
Pages 14 and 15 - Production of fuses and primers. East Anglia 3rd out of 42 boards for total production.

Pages 16 and 17 - Use of battlefield scrap. Other contracts let direct for war materials.
Pages 18 and 19 - Agriculture and artificial manures. Aeroplane production at Garrett's and Ransomes.
Pages 20 and 21 - Summary of the achievements of the East Anglian Committee.

Pages 22 and 23 - List of all the East Anglian firms who produced munitions for the Committee. From Bury St Edmunds are Robert Boby and Co and T H Nice and Co.. Also shown are Charles Burrell and Sons at Thetford and the Spartan Engine company at Brandon.
Not much is known about the Spartan Engine Co, but Grace's Guide says that in 1916 they were located in London Road, Brandon. Some of their early engines were American imports, but by 1912 their engines looked more British.

Of the East Anglian firms who produced munitions for the Committee, here is a picture of the Spartan Gas and Oil Engine Company at Brandon. This picture is from "Brandon and Santon Downham in Times Past", a Countryside publication. The Spartan Engine Compnay was noted in the report as one of the manufacturers of 6 inch High Explosive shells. "A noteworthy performance was that of the Spartan Engine Co., which with only a very small number of ordinary centre lathes produced in all over 7,900 6inch H. E. shell." This was out of a total of 91,600 made by all 6 of the East Anglian shell producers of this shell calibre.

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Page created 15th January 2015
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Front cover of Munitions Committee Report by Sir Wilfrid Stokes KBE	Munitions Committee Report Frontispiece	Page 3 - Members of the Committee
Pages 4 and 5 - The first meeting at Liverpool Street.	Pages 6 and 7 - First contract for 18 pdr shells taken and Executive Committee appointed.	Pages 8 and 9 - Depot set up at Ipswich and contract for 4.5 inch shells.
Pages 10 and 11 - Special tools made and more contracts for shells. Crittall's reduced their price for 18 pdrs.	Pages 12 and 13 - Shrapnel , fuses, base plates etc also produced. Depot extended to cope.	Pages 14 and 15 - Production of fuses and primers. East Anglia 3rd out of 42 boards for total production.
Pages 16 and 17 - Use of battlefield scrap. Other contracts let direct for war materials.	Pages 18 and 19 - Agriculture and artificial manures. Aeroplane production at Garrett's and Ransomes.	Pages 20 and 21 - Summary of the achievements of the East Anglian Committee.
Pages 22 and 23 - List of all the East Anglian firms who produced munitions for the Committee. From Bury St Edmunds are Robert Boby and Co and T H Nice and Co.. Also shown are Charles Burrell and Sons at Thetford and the Spartan Engine company at Brandon. Not much is known about the Spartan Engine Co, but Grace's Guide says that in 1916 they were located in London Road, Brandon. Some of their early engines were American imports, but by 1912 their engines looked more British.		Of the East Anglian firms who produced munitions for the Committee, here is a picture of the Spartan Gas and Oil Engine Company at Brandon. This picture is from "Brandon and Santon Downham in Times Past", a Countryside publication. The Spartan Engine Compnay was noted in the report as one of the manufacturers of 6 inch High Explosive shells. "A noteworthy performance was that of the Spartan Engine Co., which with only a very small number of ordinary centre lathes produced in all over 7,900 6inch H. E. shell." This was out of a total of 91,600 made by all 6 of the East Anglian shell producers of this shell calibre.