The Boys are back in town....

For anyone who remembers a post not so long ago regarding the No1 MkV on gunbroker, It arrived safely in the UK along with three No4 rifles, These I bought Direct from Brian Dick at a very reasonable price :D, But Before I move on would like to,
Thank Brian for all his help, time and patiance and I expect to be calling on his services in the very near future as I had a very generous offer from a forum member ....

Regarding the No4,s the interesting thing is that they have done some miles in their time, South Africa, UK, USA, and are now in storage approx 5 minutes from the site of the former ROF Fazakerley where they were made.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCF4268-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCF4271-1.jpg

And approx 63 years they would of left on this small bit of road which all remains of the entrance to ROF Fazakerley.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCF4301-1.jpg

It's a shame that we have to import these parts of our history back into our countries.
You can't go past Brian Dick if you want to anything from the US. I should have my first major import in my hands this week. Brian sure does go the distance for a customer. If any Aussies or anyone else are looking for a firearm please consider Brian from BDL ltd he will go out of his way to help you out and with the Aussie dollar so good and the ease to import from the US it could not be a better time.

Myles

Myles, I appreciate the kind words. It does my heart good to see some of these pieces of history returning to appreciative collectors in England and the Commonwealth. Sending those Fazaklerley No.4Mk.1 rifles back to Liverpool is a first for me. Talk about coming full circle, eh? By the way, the export license for your new No.4Mk.2 is approved today. I'll have it packed and on the way either tomorrow or Wednesday. Tracking will follow by PM. Stay tuned, Brian

Question for Peter Laidler, referencing the photo of the entrance to Fazakerly facility, did you ever visit the plant or was it gone before you entered service?

The place had gone, certainly by the time I'd finished my apprenticeship at the end of '65. However, it's reputation was legendary among the old time Armourers in the system. Later, I was fortunate to know the head of the internal security directorate for the area and............ Suffice it to say, someone ought to write a book about the factory.

I recall him telling me once, as he was rolling his eyes skywards in dispair that '........... they (the Ministry of Supply management) wanted to get things moving onwards and get the L1A1 into full-swing production and they (the militant shop floor) were still making No4's. These were contracted orders from years before. That really broke the back and will of the Ministry to continue'

I seem to remember that a lot of those remaining workers retrained and went to the big car factory (I think it was a Triumph factory) at Speke.

But, it is now part of the history of the legend. Maybe now is the time to have a small plaque tyo be mounted at the road entrance.

Can Big Duke find out exactly when it did close its gate

Peter,

Am looking into the History and will be asking in the local rag for photo,s etc and stories from anyone who worked there.

The Pic is all that remains and at the back is a housing estate, there are a few who say that wasn,t the entrance! but one of the lads in our club who was in in the Kings Liverpool Regiment was sure that was the place, and an other member recals it backing on to the river Alt which it is.

I am waiting to hear back regarding an old map of the area, one thing is for sure the Luftwaffe knew were it was.

As there was two ROF factorys in Liverpool, Fazakerley and Kirkby,( Kirkby was a Munitions factory) some people (local) do get confused which was which.

With the main city libary undergoing a face lift, Its hard to find the info I need, as for the closure of the gates, I would guess it was not long after the machinery was removed ( did this go to Pakistan?

Regarding the Speke factory, I only know of Fords (Halewood) ? now Jaguar.

The link below will give an idea of the size if you look at field lane and greenbank road you can see the small bit of entance which relates to the pic I posted.

Greenbank Dr, Fazakerley, Liverpool, Merseyside L10 4UE, United Kingdom - Google Maps

The Fazakerley rifle making machinery all belonged to the Ministry of Supply and went into storeage at a big ex RAF semi-underground bomb storeage dump near Aylesbury. It was the BSA rifle making machinery that was sold off to Pakistan under a private deal and some of the BSA staff went there to set it up.

Sounds like the same happened to the MG plant at Birmingham. MG cars now made in China. THere's another of those oxymorons. MG Cars from China..............!

The Fazakerley story would make good reading, especially if it included the warts an' all story of the industrial strife. I think that the last thing the Speke factory produced before it was closed were Triumph TR7's and the Dolomite family. But I could be wrong if anyone can correct this....

The TR7 was made at Speke first then Coventry 1978 then the Rover plant in Solihull on 1980.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

The Fazakerley rifle making machinery all belonged to the Ministry of Supply and went into storeage at a big ex RAF semi-underground bomb storeage dump near Aylesbury. It was the BSA rifle making machinery that was sold off to Pakistan under a private deal and some of the BSA staff went there to set it up

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Am getting my wires crossed regarding the machinery. Regarding the dump is it still there ?

A book of the history of Fazakerly would be interesting indeed! Hope Mr. Skennerton might pick up on the idea as he would very likely have had considerable contact with people who actually worked there, in gathering the volumes of facts he has printed about the Enfield rifle. We should appreciate that "Fazakerly" is much more than simply a name. Many people and many machines were working night and day thru the war and creating a legend in the process. So many bygone things I wish I could have seen at their peak of activity!

What exactly is the problem with the rear of the forend? BTW it looks like a sound proposition for a restoration, not too many bits and bobs to scratch together, and it should be a little ripper.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tbonesmith

What exactly is the problem with the rear of the forend? BTW it looks like a sound proposition for a restoration, not too many bits and bobs to scratch together, and it should be a little ripper.

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Small piece missing before the inlet for the charger guide. got all the bits just the repair to do.

How'd I miss that!? I saw this repair(the one on your rifle) done on a L39 recently, it was unlike yours double dovetailed(ie. front and back, because unlike yours this damage must have ended before the back of the forend ) and pegged with fine dowels. It was beautifully done. I suppose with this one you only dovetail the front, cut the crack along the grain so that it's parallel with the top of the forend, fit an oversized patch in similar timber with the correct grain orientation, glue and clamp, allow to dry, rough shape, peg, make off.
The patch would only be as big as essential, but would be similar to this, but on one side of the other end.

Ah Me2 ........... The trouble was that the after the war, the machines were working - but slowly. They were producing things, but not producing the right things. The place was an industrial nightmare. Like I said, it would make a good readable history just so long as it included the warts an' all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

The Fazakerley rifle making machinery all belonged to the Ministry of Supply and went into storeage at a big ex RAF semi-underground bomb storeage dump near Aylesbury. It was the BSA rifle making machinery that was sold off to Pakistan under a private deal and some of the BSA staff went there to set it up.

Sounds like the same happened to the MG plant at Birmingham. MG cars now made in China. THere's another of those oxymorons. MG Cars from China..............!

The Fazakerley story would make good reading, especially if it included the warts an' all story of the industrial strife. I think that the last thing the Speke factory produced before it was closed were Triumph TR7's and the Dolomite family. But I could be wrong if anyone can correct this....

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Speke was an industrial hotbed, and that probably explains a few things. I believe it held the record at one time for the highest number of days lost through industrial disputes. It would have been easier to count the number of days it was actually working!

Hope I'm not going too far astray here but didnt (the real) Triumph Motorcycles have it's share of labour unrest especially in the last few months of it's existence? What was the problem in England back then??? Fazakerly could probably have survived at least a while longer but for the workers upsetting production or was management equally to blame?

There's always two sides Me2 but I remember being in Australia when the wharfies refused to load the transport ships because they didn't agree with whatever it was they didn't agree with that particular day. One minister described it like '..... the managers must manage and the workers must work'. Well, typically Australian and to the point.
Yep, Triumph and Norton both........................

The problem is the same thing we're experiencing in the USA now. It's called labor union dispute. It's sinking or has sunk most of the big industrial production of the USA just like it did in England and other places in the so-called free Western world. Did you ever notice the car companies here in the USA that are doing the best under the current economic conditions? It's Toyota and BMW. They have plants in the non-union southern states. BMW is just up the road in Spartanburg, SC.

Hey Brian, I have seen Boeing is trying to open a plant in SC? I probably do not have to relate the "rest" of the story to you. What a shame! I know what you mean.