FINSBURY MUNITIONS FACTORY
ADELAIDE, SA, DURING WWII

 

Finsbury Munitions Factory, in Adelaide, South Australia was built and began operations in February 1941. It was one of many Government Ammunition factories built in Australia during WWII. Shell casings,cartridge cases, and fuses were manufactured at Finsbury Munitions Factory. The shalle casings, cartridges and fuses were then railed to to Salisbury Explosives Factory for assembly and were filled with the explosive powder.

Engineer John Adrian Fargher designed the Finsbury Munitions Factory and was appointed State Controller of air-raid shelters. During WWII John Fargher's office was commandeered by the Department of Munitions and he was given the task of developing standardised building designs for works at Hendon, Finsbury and Penfield.

Cheltenham Racecourse was located across the other side of Torrens Road from the Finsbury Munitions Factory. The Adelaide to Outer Harbour passenger rail line ran along the southern border of Cheltenham Racecourse, and the Finsbury branch line was built in 1940 which ran along the racecourse's eastern border to service the Finsbury Munitions Factory.

More than 600 people attended the Finsbury Ammunition Factory Ball on the evening of 22 October 1941 in John Martin's Ball Room in aid of the Merchant Seamen Service. The work that the factory was engaged in was placed on a display at the Ball. Mr. W.M. Fowler, the Factory Manager and his wife, the Business Administrator Mr. S. McGregor-Reid and Mrs Reid, and the Assistant Manager Mr. J.N. Keynes and Mrs Keynes entertained members of local business forms and departments connected with the Factory.

By March 1945 there was a drop in the operational activity at Advanced Ammunition Depots such as 5 AAD Mataranka and as much material as possible was being sent back to the Returned Empties Section at Finsbury in South Australia. Similar material was returned to Finsbury from Pine Creek and Brock's Creek.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Carol Faulkner and Ray Hill for their assistance with this web page.

 

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This page first produced 23 June 2012

This page last updated 18 January 2020