Researching
warships and auxiliaries of the Royal Navy 1914 to
1918, I have been struck by the size of the
shipbuilding industry of Britain and the number of
naval dockyards. Following is some of the
information unearthed, which perhaps deserves to be
better known.
Without the
ships and their continued repair and maintenance,
there could not have been a Royal Navy.
by
Gordon Smith
Contents
Part
1
THE BRITISH
SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY IN OUTLINE
Shipbuilding
Skills
Material &
Equipment suppliers
Part
2
PRIVATE
MERCANTILE & WARSHIP YARDS IN THE BRITISH
ISLES, c 1914-18:
Scotland,
Clydeside & Approaches
Scotland,
East Coast
Ireland
England,
North West
England,
North East
Wales
& England, South West
England,
South East
England,
South Coast
Part
3
ROYAL
& NAVAL DOCKYARDS WORLDWIDE
Brief
History of The Royal Dockyards of the British
Isles
Notes on
Admiralty Research Establishments
Royal and
Naval Dockyards in 1914 – Home and Abroad
Part 1. THE BRITISH
SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY IN OUTLINE
SHIPBUILDING SKILLS
From "British
Shipbuilding Yards", Volumes 1, 2, 3, by Norman
L Middlemiss, 1995
Some of the many and
often mysteriously-named crafts and skills
needed to build and repair the ships:
"Anglesmiths,
Blacksmiths, Boatbuilders, Boilermakers,
Brass Finishers, Bumpers Up, Burners,
Cabinet Makers, Caulkers, Chargehands,
Countersinkers, Cranemen, Draughtsmen,
Drillers, Electricians, Engineers,
Estimators, Fettlers, Fitters, Foremen,
Frame Turners, French Polishers,
Furnacemen, Holders Up, Iron Saw Men,
Joiners, Labourers, Loftsmen,
Machinists, Managers, Millwrights,
Painters, Pattern Makers, Planers,
Platers, Plumbers, Redleaders, Riggers,
Riveters, Sailmakers, Sawyers,
Scarphers, Stagers, Sheet Metal Men,
Shipwrights, Storemen, Toolsmiths,
Turners, Welders, Winchmen"
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MATERIAL and EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS
Information and images
are taken from the advertising pages of the 1914
"Jane's Fighting Ships"
Copyright belonged to
the individual companies, many of whom are no
longer in existence.
The technical, commercial and strategic importance
of such companies as shipbuilders John Brown,
William Beardmore and Yarrows, all on the Clyde,
Vickers of Barrow-in-Furness, Cammell Laird of
Birkenhead, Armstrongs, Palmers and Swan-Hunters of
Tyneside, Thornycroft of Southampton, White's of the
Isle of Wight; boiler-makers Babcock & Wilcox
and turbine manufacturers Parsons; ordnance
companies such as Vickers (again), Coventry
Ordnance; and, for example, steelmakers Thos Firth,
Hadfield's, Rotherham Forge, all of Yorkshire, can
be gauged from how often they appear in the lists
that follow.
However, many more and
often more specialised companies were needed to
build the ships, only some of which are listed
here. At advertising rates of £25.0s.0d for a
whole page in the 1914 Jane's (perhaps £25,000 at
current prices), many more commercial companies
would not have chosen to advertise themselves in
this otherwise prestigious, but warship-orientated
annual.
The supporting raw
material and fuel industries - coal, iron,
copper, steel-making, and as World War 1
approached, petroleum drilling, transporting and
refining - should also not be overlooked.
Until the advent of iron and steel shipbuilding,
most of the major ships were built in the south of
England, including many famous ones launched on the
River Thames, such as Brunel's giant "Great
Eastern". Once iron and the related need for coal
predominated, most of the expansion in British
shipbuilding took place in Scotland and the NE of
England towards the end of the 19th century and into
the early 20th.
DOCKYARD
EQUIPMENT & SERVICES
- e.g. Cranes, Crane (Floating),
Docks (Floating), Drawing Office
Supplies, Dredgers, Engines (Fire),
Engines (Railway), Fire &
Salvage Boats, Ironwork
(Constructional), Model
Construction, Motor Cars, Tractors,
etc, Photographers (Marine), Railway
Wheels, Tyres, Rails, etc, Steel
Rolling Shutters, Testing Machines
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SCOTLAND:
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ARROL, Sir William
& Co, Anniesland, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
BROWN, John & Co, Sheffield,
Yorkshire (steel), Clydebank,
Dumbartonshire (shipbuilding)
ROBERTSON, David & Co (drawing
office supplies), Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
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Northern (NW &
NE) ENGLAND
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ARMSTRONG,
Whitworth & Co, Manchester,
Lancashire (steel),
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland
(Shipbuilding), Erith, Kent
(ammunition)
CAMMELL Laird & Co, Sheffield,
Yorkshire (steel), Birkenhead,
Cheshire (shipbuilders)
GREENWOOD & Batley Ltd, Leeds,
Yorkshire
VICKERS Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness,
Sheffield, Yorkshire &
Birmingham, Warwickshire (steel),
Lancashire (shipbuilding), also
Crayford, Dartford, Erith, all in
Kent
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WALES &
MIDLANDS
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BASSETT-Lowke Ltd
(model makers), Northampton,
Northamptonshire
EBBW Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Co,
Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire
WOLSELEY Tool & Motor Car Co,
Birmingham, Warwickshire (motor
cars), East Cowes, Isle of Wight
(marine engines)
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Southern (E, SE
& S) ENGLAND:
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CRIBB, Stephen
(marine photographers), Portsmouth,
Hampshire
GIBSON, Arthur L, & Co,
Twickenham, Surrey
HALL, J & E, London EC &
Dartford, Kent
MERRYWEATHER & Sons, Greenwich,
Kent
SYMONDS & Co (marine
photographers), Portsmouth,
Hampshire
THORNYCROFT, John I & Co,
Basingstoke & Southampton,
Hampshire
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MACHINE, POWERED
& HAND TOOLS - e.g.
Drills, Grinding Machinery, Machine
Tools, Pneumatic Tools, Stocks, Dies
and Taps, Tool Steel and Files,
Valve Re-seating Machines, Welding
Outfits, Wire Cutters
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
John Brown, Cammell Laird, Greenwood
& Batley, Vickers
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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CRAIG & Donald
Ltd, Johnstone, Renfrewshire
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NW ENGLAND
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HULSE & Co,
Manchester, Lancashire
LUKE & Spencer, Manchester,
Lancashire
MUIR, Wm & Co, Manchester,
Lancashire
WIDDOWSON, John H, Salford,
Manchester, Lancashire
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MIDLANDS
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COVENTRY Ordnance
Works, Scotstoun, Glasgow; Cliffe in
NE England; Boston, Lincolnshire;
Coventry, Warwickshire; London
SIMPLEX Conduits Ltd, Birmingham,
Warwickshire
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SE ENGLAND
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BULLIVANT & Co,
Millwall, London
DIAMOND Blower Co, London EC
DRUMMOND Bros, Guildford, Surrey
GENERAL Engine Boiler & Co, New
Cross, London SE
THORN & Hoddle Acetylene Co,
London SW
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding15S.JPG)
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ENGINEERING
MATERIALS - e.g. Anti-Friction
Metals, Armour Plate, Copper &
Alloys, including brass, gun-metal,
Glues (Marine), Steel Founders,
Steel Plates, Sheets, Bars &
Rods, etc, Waterproof and Fireproof
Boards
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
John Brown, Cammell Laird, Ebbw Vale
Steel, Vickers
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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BEARDMORE, William
& Co, Parkhead (steel), Dalmuir,
Dumbartonshire (shipbuilding)
DENNYSTOWN Forge Co, Dumbarton,
Dumbartonshire
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Northern ENGLAND
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DARLINGTON Forge
Co, Darlington, Co Durham
FIRTH, Thos & Sons, Sheffield,
Yorkshire
HADFIELD'S Steel Foundry Co,
Sheffield, Yorkshire
PARK Gate Iron & Steel Co,
Rotherham, Yorkshire
ROTHERHAM Forge & Rolling Mills
Co, Rotherham, Yorkshire
YORKSHIRE Copper Works, Leeds,
Yorkshire
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MIDLANDS
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SOMERS, Walter
& Co, Halesowen, Worcestershire
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SE & S ENGLAND
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BRAINTREE Castings
Co, Braintree, Essex
HOYT Metal Co of Gt Britain, London
EC
JEFFERY'S Patent Marine Glue,
Stratford, London E
LANGFORD, G & Son (marine glue),
Portsmouth, Hampshire
TANDEM Smelting Co, Merton Abbey,
London SW
VENESTA Ltd, London EC
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ENGINEERING
COMPONENTS - e.g. Axles, Tyres
& Springs, Belting, Brake &
Clutch Linings, Chain Drives, Gears,
Hose Outfits, India-Rubber Goods,
Packing and Jointing, Ropes (Wire),
Shafting, Steel & Iron Castings
& Forgings (including crank
shafts, propeller shafts, stern
& rudder frames), Tubes, Tubing
(Flexible Metallic), Valves
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Beardmores, Braintree Castings, John
Brown, Bullivants, Cammell Laird,
Darlington Forge, Dennystown Forge,
Ebbw Vale Steel, Thomas Firth,
Hadfields, Merryweathers, Rotherham
Forge, Walter Somers, Vickers,
Yorkshire Copper
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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AULD, David &
Sons, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
COCKBURNS Ltd, Cardonald, near
Glasgow, Lanarkshire
NORTH British Rubber Co, Edinburgh,
Midlothian
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Northern ENGLAND
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BENNETT Von der
Heyde, J, Manchester, Lancashire
DOWNIE, T & Co, Liverpool,
Lancashire
FROOD Herbert Co,
Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire
METALLIC Valve Co, Liverpool,
Lancashire
NEWALL, R S & Son, Liverpool,
Lancashire
REDDAWAY, F & Co, Manchester,
Lancashire
RENOLD, Hans Ltd, Manchester,
Lancashire
SMITH, Thos & Wm,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland
WALLWORK, Henry & Co,
Manchester, Lancashire
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SE ENGLAND
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DERMATINE Co,
London SE
DEXINE Patent Packing and Rubber Co,
Stratford, London E
HULBURD Engineering Co, Fenchurch
Street, London EC
INTERLOCK Metal Hose Co, Wood Green,
London N
POWER Plant Co, West Drayton,
Middlesex
TRIST, Ronald & Co, London EC
UNITED Flexible Metallic Tubing Co,
Ponders End, Middlesex
WESTINGHOUSE Brake Co, King's Cross,
London N
WILCOX, W H & Co, Southwark,
London SE
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding30S.JPG)
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BOILER &
ENGINE ROOM - e.g. Ash
Expellers, Boiler Coverings, Boiler
Fittings, Boilers, Fire Clay, Flue
Blower, Furnace Fittings,
Superheaters, Turbine Gears,
Turbines
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Beardmores, John
Brown, Cammell Laird, Cockburns,
Diamond Blowers, T Downie, Greenwood
& Batley, Metallic Valve, Power
Plant Co, Thornycroft, Ronald Trist,
Vickers
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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BABCOCK &
Wilcox, Renfrew, Renfrewshire
FAIRFIELD Shipbuilding &
Engineering Co, Govan, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
GLENBOIG Union Fire Clay Co,
Glasgow, Lanarkshire
YARROW & Co, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
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NE ENGLAND
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NEWALLS Insulation
Co, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Northumberland
PARSONS Marine Steam Turbine Co,
Wallsend-on-Tyne, Northumberland
WALLSEND Slipway & Engineering
Co, Wallsend-on-Tyne, Northumberland
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SE & S ENGLAND
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EVERSHED &
Vignolles Ltd, Chiswick, London W
STONE, J & Co, Deptford, London
SE
WHITE, J Samuel & Co, East
Cowes, Isle of Wight, Hampshire
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ENGINES/PRIME
MOVERS - e.g. Engines (Gas),
Engines (Marine), Engines (Oil),
Engines (Pumping)
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Beardmores, Cammell Laird, Fairfield
Shipbuilding, Greenwood &
Batley, Thornycroft, Vickers,
Wallsend Slipway, Westinghouse,
Wolseley
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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BROWN Bros &
Co, Edinburgh, Midlothian
CARRUTHERS, J H & Co, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
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NE ENGLAND
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MIRRLEES, Bickerton
& Day, Stockport, Cheshire
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SW ENGLAND
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BRAZIL, Straker
& Co, Bristol, Gloucestershire
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding26S.JPG)
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OTHER MARINE
ENGINE BUILDERS - not
advertising, but listed in Jane's
1914
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SCOTLAND
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ABERNETHY, J &
Co, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire
AITCHISON, Blair & Co,
Clydebank, Dumbartonshire
CAMPBELL & Calderwood, Paisley,
Renfrewshire
COOPER & Greig, Dundee, Angus
DUNSMUIR & Jackson Ltd, Govan,
Glasgow, Lanarkshire
FISHERS Ltd, Paisley, Renfrewshire
GAUDLIE, Gillespie & Co,
Glasgow, Lanarkshire
KINCAID, T G & Co, Greenock,
Renfrewshire
LIDGERWOOD, W V V, Speedwell
Ironworks, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire
McKIE & Baxter, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
MILLER & Macfie Ltd, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
MUIR & Houston Ltd, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
RANKIN & Blackmore, Greenock,
Renfrewshire
RITCHIE, J, Partick, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
ROSS & Duncan, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
ROWAN, D & Co, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
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NE ENGLAND
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AMOS & Smith
Ltd, Hull, Yorkshire
BLAIR & Co, Stockton-on-Tees, Co
Durham
CENTRAL Marine Engine Works, West
Hartlepool, Co Durham
CLARK, G, Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham
DICKINSON, J & Sons, Sunderland,
Co Durham
GREY, G T, South Shields, Co Durham
HOLMES, C D & Co, Hull,
Yorkshire
McCOLL & Pollock, Ltd,
Sunderland, Co Durham
NORTH-EASTERN Marine Engineering Co,
Wallsend-on-Tyne, Northumberland
& Sunderland, Co Durham
RICHARDSONS, WESTGARTH & Co,
Hartlepool, Co Durham
SHIELDS Engineering and Dry Dock Co,
North Shields, Northumberland
WALLSEND Slipway and Engineering Co,
Wallsend, Northumberland
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Southern ENGLAND
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ELLIOTT &
Garrood, Ltd, Beccles, Suffolk
HOSKING, T, J, Ltd, London
PLENTY & Son, Newbury, Berkshire
SISSON, W & Co, Gloucester,
Gloucestershire
VAUXHALL and West Hydraulic
Engineering Co, Luton, Bedford,
Bedfordshire
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PETROLEUM
PRODUCTS, HANDLING & FIRING
- e.g. Lubricants, Motor Spirit, Oil
Cans, Oil Fuel Systems, Oils (Fuel),
Oils (Lubricating)
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Babcock &
Wilcox, Thornycroft, Wallsend
Slipway
plus:
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N ENGLAND
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KAYE, Joseph &
Sons, Leeds, Yorkshire
KERMODE Oil Firing Systems,
Liverpool, Lancashire
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S E ENGLAND
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ANGLO-American Oil
Co, Westminster, London SW
ASIATIC Petroleum Co, London EC
DICK, W B & Co, London EC
PRATT'S Perfection Motor Spirit,
Westminster, London SW
VACUUM Oil Co, Westminster, London
SW
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding29S.JPG)
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ENGINEERING
PLANT & AUXILIARIES - e.g.
Air Compressors, Condensing &
Distilling Plants, Fans &
Blowers, Hoisting Machinery,
Hydraulic Plant, Pumps, Pumps (Air),
Ships' Auxiliary Machinery, Steering
Gear
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Sir William Arrol , Brazil-Straker,
Brown Bros, J H Carruthers, General
Engine Boilers, Greenwood &
Batley, Merryweathers, J Stones,
Westinghouse, W H Wilcox
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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HASTIE, John &
Co, Greenock, Renfrewshire
MIRRLEES Watson & Co, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
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NE ENGLAND
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MATTHEWS &
Yates Ltd, Swinton, Manchester,
Lancashire
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MIDLANDS & E
ENGLAND
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BROTHERHOOD, Peter
Ltd, Peterborough, Northamptonshire
REAVELL, W & Co, Ipswich,
Suffolk
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E & SE ENGLAND
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KEITH, James, &
Blackman Co, London EC
SIEBE, Gorman & Co, London SW
WARNER, Robert & Co (Engineers),
Westminster, London SW &
Walton-on-The-Naze, Essex
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ELECTRICAL PLANT
& FITTINGS - e.g.
Dynamos, Electrical Plant,
Generators (Electric), Lamps
(Electric), Lamps (Marine), Motors
(Electric), Ship Lighting Plant and
Accessories
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Brazil-Straker, Brotherhoods,
Greenwood & Batley, Simplex
Conduit, Thornycroft, Vickers,
Westinghouse
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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McGEOCH, William
& Co, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
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NE ENGLAND
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ELECTROMOTORS Ltd,
Manchester, Lancashire
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E ENGLAND
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BROOKE, J W &
Co, Lowestoft, Suffolk
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding32S.JPG) |
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ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTROL - e.g. Heating &
Ventilating, Ice Making Machinery,
Refrigerating Machinery
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Greenwood &
Batley, J & E Hall, Keith &
Blackman, Matthew & Yates,
Simplex Conduit, Westinghouse
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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SMITH &
Wellstood, Bonnybridge,
Stirlingshire
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SE ENGLAND
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SEAGERS, Dartford,
Kent
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HULL & DECK
EQUIPMENT - e.g. Anchors,
Boat-Releasing Gear, Capstans,
Diving Apparatus, Lifeboats, Motor
Boats, Propellers, Searchlights,
Sounding Machines, Torpedo Nets and
Defences, Yachts & Launches, etc
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Brazil-Straker, J W Brooke,
Bullivants, General Engine Boilers,
Siebe-Gorman, Thornycroft, Vickers,
Whites, Yarrow
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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BERGIUS Launch
& Engine Co, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire
KELVIN, Bottomley & Baird Ltfd,
Glasgow, Lanarkshire
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NE ENGLAND
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CHARLTON, H &
Co, Gateshead-on-Tyne, Co Durham
SEAMLESS Steel Boat Co, Wakefield,
Yorkshire
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SE & S ENGLAND
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HALL'S Patent
Anchor Co, Westminster, London SW
HAMBLE River, Luke & Co, near
Southampton, Hampshire
HEATH & Co, Crayford, Kent
ROBINSON, H E C, & Co, Chiswick,
London W
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding27S.JPG)
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CORROSION
PROTECTION - e.g. Anti-Fouling
& Anti-Corrosive Compositions,
Paints, Varnishes, etc
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SE ENGLAND
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BURRELL & Co,
Millwall, London EC
INDESTRUCTIBLE Paint Co, London EC
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SHIP'S BRIDGE
EQUIPMENT - e.g. Compasses,
Indicators (Helm), Indicators
(Revolution), Indicators (Speed),
Nautical instruments, Opticians,
Ship-Logs, Signalling Systems and
Apparatus, Sound Signals, Telegraphs
(Ship), Telephones (Loud Speaking)
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Diamond Blowers, T
Downie, Evershed & Vignolle,
Hamble River, Heath & Co,
Kelvins, Wm McGeoch
plus:
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NE ENGLAND
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CHADBURN'S (Ship)
Telegraph Co, Bootle, Lancashire
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MIDLANDS & E
ENGLAND
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CAMBRIDGE
Scientific Instrument Co, Cambridge,
Cambridgeshire
WALKER, Thomas & Son,
Birmingham, Warwickshire
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SE ENGLAND
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GRAHAM, Alfred
& Co, London SE
ROSS Ltd, Clapham, London SW
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![](WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuilding23S.JPG)
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WEAPONS &
ORDNANCE
- e.g. Ammunition (War),
Explosives (including cordite,
guncotton, blasting explosives),
Fire Control & Gunnery Fitting,
Fuzes & Primers, Guns and
Mountings, Projectiles/shells,
Rifles and Revolvers, Torpedoes,
Torpedo Tubes
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Beardmores, Cammell Laird, Coventry
Ordnance, Darlington Forge, Evershed
& Vignolles, Thomas Firth,
Greenwood & Batley, Hadfields,
Ross, Vickers
plus:
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SCOTLAND
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BARR & Stroud,
Glasgow, Lanarkshire
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MIDLANDS
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WEBLEY & Scott,
Birmingham, Warwickshire
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SE ENGLAND
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CURTIS'S &
Harvey Ltd, London EC
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AVIATION -
e.g. Aeroplanes, Seaplanes, and
Airships, Engines (Aerial)
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Armstrong-Whitworth,
Coventry Ordnance, Hamble River,
Vickers, Whites, Wolseley
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