GKN at War, 1939–45

Abstract

A pamphlet compiled by the Iron and Steel Federation recording their contribution to the war effort emphasised the industrial nature of the conflict in 1939–45. A Lancaster bomber, it observed, though constructed of light metals and alloys, also contained around four tons of steel (for engine parts, airscrew hubs, mountings and armament) and could carry eight tons of bombs, most of the weight being derived from the steel casings.² To bring one aircraft factory into production no fewer than thirty to forty types of tool steel were needed. Further, by the end of 1943 some 83,000 tanks and armoured cars had been manufactured in Britain, together with over a million other military vehicles. If any single substance could be described as the material of war, then it was steel. In its various forms it became ammunition, weaponry, helmets, warships and a means of transporting troops. To convert such a basic raw material into so many different objects, each with their own characteristics and qualities, demanded an organisation and manufacturing capacity of great complexity. GKN, being a primary producer (with, in effect, two medium-sized steelworks) and possessing a variety of works concerned with the fashioning of steel objects, found itself in the front line of industrial warfare. In addition, the company had to earn profits and satisfy the expectations of its shareholders. How the group coped with the dual needs of the nation’s desperate demand for munitions and its own commercial considerations form the central themes of this chapter.

None are exempt from service in this hour; And vanquished in ourselves we dare not be.

Siegfried Sassoon, ‘Silent Service’ (23 May 1940)¹