On International Women in Maritime Day we reflect on the contribution of women to our history and during WW2.

The 2^nd National Service Act (1941) had brought far more women into the workplace and this certainly is true for the Stones & Manganese Bronze & Brass facilities around the country.

As well as manufacturing for seaborn warfare – the men & women of Stones wartime factories played a significant role in the production of some of the great wartime aircraft.

For companies strongly rooted in #maritime you would be forgiven for not expecting this series of posts to include the words Rolls Royce Merlin Engine, AVRO Lancaster Bomber & De Havilland Mosquito but there is a strong connection with these famous aircraft.

In 1942, J. Stone & Co. received a request from the Ministry of Aircraft Production to invest and extend their capacity to manufacture magnesium castings. This request came with a warning – due to the shortage of labour there would be no new skilled workers.

It was recognised that this aspect of manufacture – casting, traditionally a highly skilled and heavy manual process now needed to be undertaken predominantly by women – many of whom had never even seen inside a factory before.

New manufacturing plants were developed that reduced to a minimum the manual movement of materials – direct line of flow was introduced with conveyor belts and automated lifting.

Below is by no means a comprehensive list of items but includes some of the most recognizable recipients for the items Stone manufactured:

• De Havilland Mosquito variable pitch propeller parts, undercarriage & bomb winches.
• Bristol Hercules engine parts for the following bombers: Lancaster, Sterling, Halifax, Wellington & Beaufighters
• Rolls Royce Merlin & Griffin Engine Parts & Assemblies
• Hawker Typhoon & Tempest Engine Parts & Assemblies
• Supermarine Seafire Engine Parts & Assemblies

Also within the production demands from the Ministry was the matter of rivets for aircraft production.

Despite the early disruption of the Blitz the Stones plant at Deptford and a duplicate plant in Ardwick, production of over 3,400 tons of rivets was completed in the six wartime years using over 167,000 miles of rivet wire.

It is without doubt a testament to the commitment, courage and quick learning of these women who worked the factories that these production lines were delivered so successfully.