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employees, most of whom were women. Medical treatment rooms were built onsite in order to cater to such a large workforce. When the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich was bombed, it had to be closed down and many workers and a large amount of material were transferred to ROF Kirkby. In order to house these employees, 200 houses for key workers were built in the area and a
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hostel was built to house 1,000 women. The factory employed a three shift system so that production was continuous, combining with the transport system so that as it dropped off one shift of employees it would take home another shift. In
December 1940, a railway station was opened on the Liverpool to
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acting as consultant and
Holloway Brothers the contractors. When completed the factory consisted of more than 1,000 buildings, 18 miles (29 km) of roads and 23 miles (37 km) of railway lines along with a station and had cost £8,500,000 (approx. £1,800 million inflation adjusted as share of
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from the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich, was appointed the Superintendent, taking 9 staff with him, and when the first shells rolled off the assembly line in September 1940 there were only between 50 and 100 employees. By the summer of 1941 this had risen to 10,000 before rising to a peak of around 23,000
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There were two explosions at Kirkby ROF, one in
February 1944 and one on 15 September 1944. Two people were killed in the first accident and 14 killed and 11 injured in the second. It took three months of work to clear 4,000 bombs which were buried in the rubble after the second accident, with a
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GDP). As a way to minimise the risk of damage in the event of an explosion taking place the buildings were widely spaced and some were mounded up to the eaves.
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46:. The rural location was to reduce the potential damage from any accidental explosions. Munitions were produced from September 1940 to March 1946.
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ROF. It had produced around ten per cent of all the ammunition used in World War II by
Britain. Afterwards the site was developed by
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and played a large part in the growth of Kirkby from a population of barely over 3,000 in 1951 to over 52,000 by 1961.
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total of 37 awards for bravery and distinguished conduct made by the King. These included both the
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Wigan
Wallgate line to service the factory. It closed in March 1946.
190:"Knowsley Local History: Kirkby Royal Ordnance Factory. Archived copy"
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The ROF was eventually closed in March 1946, having been designated a
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153:. Prescot, Merseyside: T Stephenson & Sons Ltd. p. 40.
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229:"Disused Stations: Kirkby Royal Ordnance Factory Station"
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Knowsley Local
History: Kirkby Royal Ordnance Factory
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119:, for his brave conduct during both explosions.
16:World War II munitions factory in Merseyside, UK
34:. The factory was based in the rural area of
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297:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
54:Original planning for the site began at
294:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
151:Lost Villages of Liverpool - Part Three
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392:Buildings and structures in Merseyside
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254:"Liverpool Museums: ROF Sports Club"
402:Royal Ordnance Factories in England
288:"Bywater, (Richard) Arthur Samuel"
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218:Using measuringworth.com for 2012
26:No. 7) was a large World War II
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318:UK public library membership
285:Baker, Anne Pimlott (2009).
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233:disused-stations.org.uk
335:ROF Kirkby Sports Club
303:10.1093/ref:odnb/96269
38:, on the outskirts of
28:Royal Ordnance Factory
397:History of Merseyside
149:Whale, Derek (1984).
89:Liverpool Corporation
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387:Filling factories
316:(Subscription or
266:on 7 January 2009
259:Liverpool Museums
93:industrial estate
85:War Duration Only
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363:53.487°N 2.855°W
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200:on 3 March 2016
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64:Sir Alex Gibson
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70:In July 1940
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56:Royal Arsenal
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306:. Retrieved
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268:. Retrieved
264:the original
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236:. Retrieved
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202:. Retrieved
198:the original
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113:George Medal
109:George Cross
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308:23 December
204:23 December
381:Categories
351:53°29′13″N
320:required.)
123:References
44:Merseyside
20:ROF Kirkby
354:2°51′18″W
102:Accidents
40:Liverpool
32:munitions
60:Woolwich
62:, with
50:History
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270:8 June
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91:as an
36:Kirkby
238:4 May
310:2021
272:2008
240:2024
206:2021
155:ISBN
111:and
77:YWCA
299:doi
115:to
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