'A Pictorial Record of the Royal Naval Cordite Factory, Holton Heath'
by M R Bowditch and L Hayward
ISBN 1-900467-01-1
128 pages, 80 photographs
10 maps/plans
£15.00

During the first few weeks of World War I, Winston Churchill - then First Lord of the Admiralty - insisted on the need for the Royal Navy to have its own independent supply of propellants (cordite) for shells. Realising that the propellant for use in fighting at sea had to be of a high quality, it was decided that could best be achieved by a specialist factory designed specifically for the purpose.
The large scale production of explosive called for the careful selection of a suitable manufacturing site and Holton Heath in East Dorset was selected in 1914 where the isolated site was turned into a secretive munitions plant, the true scale of which only became apparent in recent times by the publication of this fascinating volume.
This wide-ranging book tells the absorbing story of the Royal Naval Cordite Factory (RNCF), Holton Heath from its inception in 1914, through to 1957 - when the production of propellant was stopped - up to the present, including a detailed study of the remaining facilities, some of which today provide a refuge for wild life under the watchful eye of English Nature.
Malcolm Bowditch and Les Hayward are both well qualified to present this unique survey of what was potentially one of the most dangerous working environments in this country. Talking to people who formerly worked at RNCF, researching official files and gathering together a collection of photographs - most of which have never been published before - they describe the magnificent plant that was the RNCF and what it meant to work in such a dangerous environment.

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